#like... luffy and usopp are SEVENTEEN

[your-mom-friend]

i looked it up out of curiosity and i think it's fucking hilarious that the OG 5 members of the straw hat pirates are all like, under 20. they were out conquering the east blue because they couldn't be at the club they were too young

[hylianane]

I’ve read Time Traveler Zoro AUS far more interesting than anything my feeble little mind could cook up on it’s own, but I’d still love try to play around with the premise and give it my own spin.

I’ve read two in which Zoro loses the crew in a great tragedy, so he goes back in time to save them, and the greatest source of tension in the story is the way he tries to hide all the future knowledge he maintains from the others, while still trying to rewrite history. It’s so good and thrilling. But. Yet. However.

I’m reminded of the scene in Sabaody in which Rayleigh offers to tell the crew about the One Piece, and Luffy furiously rejects him. Says he doesn’t want a boring adventure where he knows the ending. And though I don’t recall Zoro saying anything in that moment, I think he would agree. So in this Time Travel AU, when Zoro goes back in time, he does so with the idea that this second try isn’t for him. He wants to help, but if he gets on that boat, he won’t be able to keep himself from giving Luffy all the answers in hopes of saving his life, and that would ruin his Captain’s dream.

So let’s imagine Luffy. At seventeen years old, he sets out on a journey through the Grandline to become the King of the Pirates. He has his navigator, his sniper, his cook, his doctor- all his friends by his side. And things are challenging sometimes, but always fun. And he gets lucky.

He gets lucky a lot.

Sanjj tells him it’s a guardian angel, but Luffy’s not so sure. There’s something at the back of his mind, an itch behind his ear. He starts to notice signs of a certain presence everywhere he goes, a mysterious someone who seems to always want to beat him to the punch, but also seems to never finish the job.

Like back in Orange Town, when he met Nami and fought the Buggy guy, the Clown complained about his knife thrower being put out of commission by a bounty hunter right before the fight. Or in Syrup Village, when Captain Kuroo called for reinforcements two of his officers were a no-show, their crewmates reporting that it was as if the Nyaban Brothers had disappeared into the night. When Luffy met Sanji at the Baratie, he’d felt a tension build within him as he listened to all the rumors of the Greatest Swordsman in the World having been seen nearby. But then, the tension is cut abruptly when Don Kreig walks through the door instead, announcing that he’d escaped the Warlord when some suicidal swordsman intercepted his chase.

In Whiskey Peak, Nami tells him about how she saw a cloaked figure take down 100 hundred bounty hunters without making a sound, as if trying to not disturb the Strawhat’s sleep. Luffy thinks he might’ve seen such a figure from afar when taking a leak, but he can’t be sure. In Alabasta, Ace keeps throwing looks over his shoulder as if searching for someone, but always telling Luffy there’s nothing to worry about. Vivi is shocked to discover someone took down Baroque Work’s Number 1 in a duel a night before their arrival at Alubarna. When Robin joins them at the end of it, she seems shocked to find the crew only has five members, instead of six. But she doesn’t seem keen on elaborating why just yet.

The only place that they haven’t been followed to by this Mystery Guy (as Luffy has taken to calling him) is Skypeia. Almost like he couldn’t figure out how to get up there.

And still, the whole time Luffy’s there he can’t stop thinking about him. Looking left and right as if between the clouds and the trees he’ll catch a glimpse of Mystery Guy’s face. Nami says it’s ludicrous to think that all these instances can be chalked up to same guy. Usopp tells tall tales of how they’re being stalked by a man who fell madly love with the Great Sniper’s good looks, or sometimes he tells tales of how they’re being followed by the ancient God of Fortune, or sometimes it’s any other grandiose tale he’ll accept before he accepts that it’s just a guy, just a Mystery Guy, who is real and Luffy knows it.

He knows, and he’s a little obsessed with it. And it’s not always great. He loses sleep, wondering who are you and do you know me and do i know you and stop getting in my way and why don’t you do it more and do you want to join my crew and i need you to watch me and i need you on my crew.

(Meanwhile, on his end, Zoro is planning how to stop the tragedy that will befall his family. But in the meantime he doesn’t want to just be dead weight. He doesn’t want to be apart from them. He may not have a place on that boat anymore, but he can’t have his Captain fighting his battles. He can’t let his friends go unprotected. So he’ll protect them, protect him, in silence, from afar, always one day head, always knowing what’s coming next)

[goodlucktai]

name your courage now

one piece word count: 2k pairing: usopp & luffy my piece for the @opfluffzine ! @beasttrash drew some absolutely lovely art to go with my fic, go take a look if you'd like ! title borrowed from the moon will sing by the crane wives read on ao3

x

When Usopp was seventeen, he met a man who made him feel small. 

It wasn’t the first time in his life someone looked at him and found him wanting. But it was the first time elevator eyes and a sneer had caused a deep pang of uneasiness to take up residence in his gut.

“This guy?” the stranger had said to Luffy, incredulous. “Come on, you can tell just by looking between us that I have more to offer than he ever could.”

He was trying to cozy up to the rookie captain already making a name for himself across the blues. He wanted to tag along, take the easy street to adventure and infamy. He couldn’t seem to understand why Usopp, of all people, had a spot, while he didn’t. 

Until that point, Usopp had never had any compunctions about his own physicality. He had a runner’s body, lithe muscle that got him from Point A to Point B swiftly, and the excellent cardio required to scream every step of the way. He would never try to go toe-to-toe with someone like this man—a little taller than Zoro, a little broader in the shoulders, more muscled than the nineteen-year-old former pirate hunter by virtue of being about a decade older. 

But Luffy’s first mate had a devil in him that made him an actual walking natural disaster. This stranger just seemed like the type of bully who was used to using his size to get what he wanted, and his handsome, chiseled face when brute force failed him. 

Luffy had looked at the man the way Usopp imagined the sun might look at a satellite, a glancing interest in this tiny, inconsequential thing that decided to cut boldly across his view. 

Then he looked at Usopp and the shape of that regard changed completely, all warmth and light and safekeeping—the sun looking at one of its planets, Luffy looking at someone who was his. 

Usopp knew how special it was to have that sunlight in his life. He knew better than to think, even for a second, that the special one was him. 

“Who are you?” Luffy said plainly, as if he hadn’t been present for the introductions that had happened literal minutes before. 

The stranger’s face flushed with humiliation, and Zoro’s low chuckle rumbling around them like thunder certainly didn’t help. 

“Shall I get rid of him, captain?” Zoro said with a courteousness that felt dangerous in the moment. 

Luffy, as petulant as any spoiled little brother or soon-to-be king, said, “Just get him out of the way! Usopp was telling a story.”

The stranger chose to take himself out of the way, proving he was at least a little smarter than most wannabe big shots they bumped into. Even after he had disappeared down the road—even after the encounter had drifted back into the company of one thousand other encounters that wouldn’t even make it into the footnotes of their crew’s grand tale—that oily uncertainty remained in Usopp’s stomach. 

Looking back, it was stupid. But it was the first time Usopp felt worried that his place could be snatched away; that someone more deserving could take his spot. 

He knows that he’s lucky, that fate decided to be kind to him that day it brought his future right to his front door. He knows he never would have mustered the courage to go meet his destiny on his own, because Usopp was a runner, and a coward, and only as strong and fast as he needed to be to race away from danger, not towards. 

Then his family was ripped apart. Then Luffy suffered, alone and out of his reach. Usopp clutched a newspaper in hands that shook and imagined, for one second, a world without Luffy’s sunny smile. 

He needs me, Usopp thought. It wasn’t a lie to bolster himself in a moment of crippling insecurity. It wasn’t an act of silly, self-important grandeur to make Nami scoff or Chopper giggle or Sanji roll his eyes. It was a frightening, heavy thing to hold, something he was halfway tempted to put down, and that’s how he knew it was the truth. That’s how he knew he had to keep holding it. 

Usopp worked hard on himself in those two painful years apart, let himself go and then dragged himself back kicking and screaming. He has plenty to show for it, his body a machine as trustworthy as the ones he and Franky build together in their workshop. Just let someone try to take his nakama away again. 

I could carry any one of you, he thinks sometimes, gazing at them over drinks or under the stars, feeling settled in his skin and bones in a way he never was before. If you needed me, I'm strong enough to carry you now.

They meet that man again one more time, when Usopp is twenty.

On the main street of a city they’re poking around for the afternoon, they stumble upon a seaside restaurant's soft opening. Sandwich board menus planted in the street boast cheap specials for couples due to some local holiday. 

Usopp and Luffy lock eyes, and grin, and slide into each other’s space with the ease of people who have put their lives in each other’s hands on the regular. When they amble up to join the queue, they don’t get any second glances.

The shape of Luffy against Usopp’s side is familiar. His hair is stiff, starched with sun and sea salt, but it bends to Usopp's whims when he finger-combs it back into waves. 

Luffy isn’t handsome in a textbook way, isn’t pretty the way people like Vivi and Cavendish are, but he stops strangers in their tracks regardless. Gazes linger where he goes, maybe because humans at a base level can tell when a god is walking with them. 

Or maybe it’s his huge brown eyes. Even odds, Usopp decides, grinning when Luffy pushes into his touch like a pampered pet monster. 

“If we don’t have enough for the bill we can just run away,” Luffy says none too quietly, because he’s very much a product of the two half-feral older brothers who raised him.

“We’ll have enough,” Usopp reassures, even though he’s not entirely sure. Things will work out one way or another. He's learned from the best, after all, and while he’s no Nami, he can charm a few hundred bellies off the bill at the very least. 

Their chatter attracts attention. One of the two girls holding hands in line ahead of them scoffs, good-humored, and her partner giggles. A man walking down the street does a double-take and stops in his tracks.

Usopp recognizes him, even if it takes a minute. He’s smaller than Usopp remembers. The years haven’t been kind, weathering away his roguish good looks. Now he wouldn’t stand out of a crowd one way or another. 

In a split second, Usopp can see the spark of something like blame in his eyes. He looks like he’s about to start a fight.

“Hey, Lu, I bet they’ve got free samples up at the front,” Usopp says, giving his captain a nudge. “Get us something good, I'll save our spot in line.”

“Good idea!” Luffy’s off like a shot, thankfully barreling around the queue of customers instead of through it. Usopp spares a moment of sympathy for the waitstaff if there aren’t actually any samples up there and then turns his attention back to the stranger. 

Usopp folds his arms and sets his shoulders back, a broad wall between Luffy and this guy who thinks he has a right to ruin their fun day off. 

“For all you know, we’re on a date,” he says dryly. “Make it quick.”

“I just don't get it,” he says, jaded and unhappy with whatever turns his life has taken. “Why did he take you with him? What makes someone like you so special?”

“Yeah, you really don’t get it,” Usopp replies, not unkindly. 

None of us were special until he picked us out of the blues and made us that way, he could say. He saw something in us that no one else did, that hadn’t even existed yet, he could try to explain. Maybe we just got lucky. 

But there’s more to it than that. That’s only half the truth. 

They chose Luffy, too. And that’s not a small thing. It’s not simple, or easy, or a choice they only had to make once. Luffy picked them, and they picked him right back, and all the hard work that came with him. 

Every so often, when his friends are being noisy and annoying, Usopp thinks I would do anything for them and he means it . He would fight tooth and nail to stay at their side. He would cling with his last breath to Luffy's flag. Even when it hurts. Even when he’s scared. 

There is nowhere else that he belongs, Usopp realized one day, and it’s the truth. It’s something he made true, over and over and over again. Maybe he did get lucky that day Luffy happened to meet him. 

But maybe Luffy got lucky, too. 

“I put in the work,” Usopp finally settles for saying. “This is how far it got me. I’m nowhere near done yet.”

The man scoffs, but it doesn’t have the condescending edge it did the first time they met. When he sizes Usopp up again, it’s not nerve-wracking the way it would have been once. 

If Robin was there to make it really funny, Usopp would say excuse me, my eyes are up here, like he does in dive bars when flirty strangers get a little too close for comfort, only to shriek in alarm at the extra ice blue eyes staring unblinkingly at them from Usopp’s face. 

The man glances over Usopp's shoulder and quickly withdraws himself from their conversation. Usopp didn’t need his obvious reaction to tell him that Luffy is scampering back, because his passive observation haki is finely tuned to his captain’s presence at all times. That, and the audible oof from a stranger in the crowd who didn’t dive out of Luffy’s path in time not to get trampled over was kind of a giveaway. 

“Oh, score,” Usopp cheers when he sees what is probably six times the suggested number of samples for any one customer clutched in Luffy’s hands. 

Luffy is watching the stranger depart, a confused frown on his face. He looks back and Usopp meets his eyes easily, a smile already curling the edges of his mouth because he knows what’s coming. 

Sure enough, his best friend says, “Who was he?”

The line moves up and now they’re within line of sight of the hostess podium, so Usopp resumes their fake date by slinging an arm around Luffy’s waist. He squeezes playfully, and Luffy actually squeaks in surprise like a rubber monkey, then bursts into bright peals of ringing laughter. 

It settles over the street the way sunlight falls on everything, casting the world in warm, rich gold.  

“He was nobody worth worrying about,” Usopp says, wishing he could say it to himself at seventeen.

Usopp used to be a liar and could even trick himself into thinking he was somehow worth standing next to his friends, the brilliant, incredible people that they were. 

Usopp is still a liar, when it suits him, and even a coward, but only when it’s good for a laugh. More than that, he’s an inventor and a storyteller and the best sharpshooter in the New World. Maybe sometimes he still flinches from danger, but he doesn’t let his crew run to meet it without him. He builds things and helps people and nobody has the power to make him feel like anything except what he is.

He’s someone worth betting your last beli on. Somehow, Luffy knew that from the very first moment they met. Usopp took the long way around, but he caught up eventually.

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji never celebrated his birthday when he was a kid, quite obviously. At least not in a regular way and not with his siblings. But he did visit his mom at the hospital, tried to make the best of cakes (because she always asked him to) and blew out the candles right in front of her wishing and wishing and wishing for her to get better. For them to have a happy ending. Sora always said that if he wished hard enough, it would come true.

It didn't. But Sanji knew, even at a young age, deep inside, that it wouldn't.

So he starts living with Zeff and his birthday is not something he sees worth celebrating. But the man asks him about it one day and the date March 2th is written all over his face when he tries to find an excuse to not tell him. And it's alright, he guesses, because at the end of the day Zeff isn't that big on birthdays either.

The kid has it rough on that day when it first comes, and Zeff doesn't know what to do. What to gift him. He doesn't know how kids his age behave and what they like. Especially since Sanji is not a regular kid. So for his 10th birthday, Zeff tells him he's going to teach him how to bake a proper cake. That makes Sanji extremely happy, somehow. He is not a normal kid, but he sure is a cook. So there isn't a party or eccentric gifts, but there is cake.

Zeff starts giving him proper gifts when he turns fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Ties and suits and shoes and every pretty thing his son has mentioned he liked ever since he saw a very rich businessman walking into the Baratie dressing like that with a woman hugging his side. "It's gentleman's attire! You wouldn't get it!" and look, if the kid wants his snob suits, Zeff won't complain. They have more than enough money for shit like that.

They have a real birthday party when he turns eighteen. And he's all grown and pissed about how he could've made the cake better in his own and acting like an ungrateful brat. But he smiles. Widely and brightly and Zeff couldn't love him more.

So it's not like Sanji hates his birthday... But he doesn't tell the crew about it. He gets sad and weird and in an on and off mode. He doesn't want them to make a big deal out of it and he knows they probably will. He won't stop thinking about his mom, either. So he avoids the crew a little bit too much on that day.

And Usopp notices he's acting weird, because how could he not? Sanji has been oddly quiet and polite to everyone in a gloomy, nostalgic way. Everybody is worried and Luffy tries to cheer him up, but it only ends up bothering Sanji more, from Usopp's perspective. The sniper tries not to be clingy because he knows his boyfriend and he knows that if he's in one of his sad moods, affection will only make him sadder. So he stays next to him, but not too close. Enough to see Sanji smile now and then.

The day goes on and it's time to go to bed, but Usopp notices Sanji is still in the kitchen and decides to change his night shift with Franky because he really, really needs to stay awake to look after him. He refuses to invade his privacy and space, so he just stays close to the kitchen in case he gets out.

But curiosity killed the cat, and he's also extremely concerned. So he decides to look inside.

He sees Sanji, sitting down at the dining table with a tiny, little cupcake and a candle. He's holding a picture Usopp knows well because Sanji keeps it in a tiny treasure chest inside his locker. His mom. And he smiles apologetically. "Sorry it couldn't be a real cake, mom. I wasn't that much in the mood? But hey! I- I improved, didn't I?" Usopp can't see his face that clearly, but he knows, from the tone of his voice, that he's probably about to cry. "I wish- I wish you were here. I'm twenty-two now! You said you liked that number, right? It does look like a duck, after all."

He keeps talking, but Usopp closes the door gently without Sanji noticing. Shit.

It might not be the best idea, but Usopp decides to leave him a little thing under the door. A note wishing him a happy birthday and some flowers. The note also has a drawing of two ducks in it.

The next day, the first thing Sanji tells him when he wakes up (Usopp noticing the flowers placed on a glass vase and the edge of his note sticking out of that same treasure chest from before) is: "Hey, love, would you- Would you like to try and bake a cake with me? It'd be fun."

And Usopp couldn't smile wider even if he tried.

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

☠️ Clipped Wings: Chapter Seventeen

Clipped Wings: After living a life in seclusion due to an over protective father, you sneak away to experience life as it really is. Slowly building up the woman you always wanted to be, your quiet life is interrupted when you meet a rather elastic boy and his crew. This is just the beginning of trouble and your carefully crafted life starts to crumble around you. The past never really stays in the past, and now it has come knocking. In more ways than one.  

Warnings: Alcohol, Language.

To Note: Dracule Mihawk x Reader, NAMED!FemReader, Some physical features have been given (hair & eye color).

Word Count: ~3.0k

Previous | Masterlist | Next

As it turns out, Luffy thinks he can put the lunch bill on credit and ends up as a chore boy for Zeff. That leaves you and the crew to loiter around for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. When the sun finally dips below the horizon, you head back to the Going Merry to change into attire more appropriate for the bar area of Baratie.

You step onto the Going Merry, the creak of the ship’s deck beneath your boots becoming more and more familiar. The gentle sway of the sea accompanies you as you head to your quarters. It is going to be a nice night. Your mind drifts briefly to the oddities of your current company. Luffy, with his boundless energy and appetite, somehow roped you into this ragtag group. It’s amusing, but tonight you wanted a moment to let loose and enjoy the warm night.

In your cabin, you rummage through your belongings and pull out a v-neck tank top and a pair of shorts. The tank top clings to your frame, accentuating the strength you've gained over the years while providing your shoulders some relief from cloth. The shorts offer ease of movement, perfect for any unexpected scuffles that might arise. You slip into matching boots, their leather hugging your calves snugly. The Whip of Lothaine, wraps around your waist like an extension of yourself.

With your outfit sorted, you move to the small mirror hanging on the wall. Your fingers work through the tangles in your hair, each stroke smoothing out the remnants of the day's chaos. Once satisfied, you gather your black hair into a messy bun atop your head. Strands fall loose here and there, but it adds to the calculated disarray you prefer.

A final glance in the mirror confirms you're ready for whatever the night at Baratie might bring. Hopefully amusing drunks and delicious wine. Stepping back onto the deck, you feel the humid night air brush against your skin.

You make your way back to the Baratie, the sounds of laughter and clinking glasses growing louder as you approach. The air is thick with the scent of grilled fish and the tang of alcohol. Pushing through the double doors, you scan the room until you spot Nami, Usopp, and Zoro seated at a table near the back.

Zoro has a beer, Nami is staring at a glass, and Usopp is drinking a beverage that will definitely get him drunk.

You weave through the tables, the low hum of conversations mingling with the clatter of dishes. As you approach your crew's table, Zoro looks up, his usual stoic expression in place. Nami’s eyes flick to you, then back to her drink, a small smile playing on her lips. Usopp raises his glass in a half-hearted toast.

"Nice outfit," Nami remarks, though her words are empty.

You give a slight nod, acknowledging the empty compliment as you take the empty seat next to her. "I needed something that breathes in this heat."

Zoro grunts, his attention already shifting back to his beer. "This place is lively," he says, almost begrudgingly. "So what's your real story, because you aren't just a seamstress, seamstresses don't wander around the Grand Line for the fun of it."

You lean back in your chair, fingers drumming lightly on the table's edge. Zoro's eyes remain fixed on you, waiting for an answer. You let a slow smile curl your lips.

"A story?" you muse, tilting your head slightly. "Everyone's got a story, Zoro. Mine just happens to be a bit... more interesting than most."

Nami narrows her eyes, curiosity piqued. Usopp leans forward, clearly eager to hear more. You sip from the glass of water in front of you, letting the anticipation build.

"I traveled a lot," you continue, keeping your tone light. "I've seen things most people only dream about and faced challenges that would make others turn back."

Zoro raises an eyebrow. "That sounds vague."

"Vague is safe," you counter, your voice smooth as silk. "Specifics get messy and particularly bloody. While I do enjoy a bloodbath, I prefer finesse."

Usopp's eyes widen slightly at the mention of bloodbath. He leans closer, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "So you're like an assassin or something?"

"Don't insult me," you chuckle with a quirk in your mouth. "I just have a rather short temper when it comes to idiocy and poor morals."

"I think I like you," Zoro mutters, taking another swig of his beer. His eyes are sharp, assessing you with a hint of respect. "But you are still hiding something, I can see it in the way you move."

You meet Zoro's gaze, holding it steadily. "Everyone has secrets, Zoro. It's what makes us interesting. Besides, a bit of mystery keeps things exciting, don't you think?"

Nami rolls her eyes. "Well, as long as your secrets don't get us into more trouble than Luffy already does."

"I have far more control over myself than Luffy does, that I can assure you," You inform her with a twinkle in your eye. Nami blinks at you before cocking her head. She picked up on the subtlety of your words.

Nami narrows her eyes, leaning closer. "What exactly do you mean by 'control over yourself'? You talk like you've seen more than your fair share of fights."

Before you can reply, Usopp's massive drink wobbles precariously in his grasp. It slips from his hand, falling through the air. Instinctively, your hand shoots out, snatching it with lightning speed. The glass stays perfectly still in your grasp, not a drop spilled. Your eyes never leave Nami's.

"Impressive," Zoro mutters under his breath.

You place the drink back in front of Usopp, who stares at you with wide eyes. "Thanks," he mumbles, clearly taken aback by your reflexes.

Nami's gaze sharpens, a mix of curiosity and suspicion coloring her expression. "That wasn't normal," she states plainly. "How did you do that?"

"She's fast," Zoro grunts out his guess.

"Reflex," You correct him, "not speed. That is my gift… and my curse."

Usopp’s curiosity gets the better of him. He leans in, eyes wide with intrigue. “A curse? Why would fast reflexes be a curse?”

"I cannot swim in the ocean, yet it is my passion to explore," you softly explain, taking a deep breath.

Nami’s eyes narrow as she studies you. Her mind races, piecing together clues. “Devil fruit,” she states, the realization dawning on her. “Your abilities come from a devil fruit.”

You nod slowly, confirming her suspicion. “The Hansha Hansha no Mi,” you explain. “I wanted to be strong, was willing to do anything for it. This is my price.”

Usopp’s jaw drops slightly. “So, you can’t swim? Like at all?”

“Not without sinking like a stone,” you say with a wry smile. “But I’ve learned to make do.”

Zoro grunts in acknowledgment. “Sounds like a fair trade-off if it means you’re that quick in a fight.”

You give a small shrug, appreciating his pragmatic view. “It has its uses, but it took time to master. There were... complications at first.” Particularly when you had to haul ass out of the cave system on Tako Island.

Nami leans back in her chair, processing your words. “And here I thought Luffy was the only one dealing with devil fruit drawbacks.”

“We all have our burdens,” you reply simply.

Usopp scratches his head, still wrapping his mind around the concept. “So what happens if you fall into the sea? Are you just... done for?”

“My body will freeze up and I will drown unless retrieved,” you explain, the weight of your words settling over the table.

The group falls silent for a moment, each lost in their thoughts. The lively chatter and clinking glasses around you fade into the background as they absorb your revelation.

“Well,” Zoro finally breaks the silence, lifting his beer in a mock toast, “here’s to not falling overboard then.” You knew there was something you liked about him.

Nami's brow furrows as she leans forward, her gaze piercing. "Why are you telling us this?" Her voice carries an edge, curiosity mingled with suspicion.

You take a slow sip of your water, letting the cool liquid calm your thoughts. Setting the glass down, you meet Nami's eyes squarely. "Because," you begin, your voice taking on a dry tone, "if I go overboard, I’d like someone to come after me."

Usopp's eyes widen in surprise. "You actually trust us that much?"

A faint smile touches your lips. "Trust is earned, Usopp. But it's also about survival. I enjoy living." You let the weight of your words sink in. The unspoken truth that despite your strength and abilities, you're still vulnerable. No one is invincible.

Zoro nods slowly, his expression thoughtful. "Fair enough."

Nami's suspicion softens slightly as she processes your reasoning. "So you're saying that if something goes wrong, you want us to be prepared?"

"Precisely," you confirm. "I've learned the hard way that being prepared can make all the difference. In the Grandline, that is the difference between life and death."

The table falls silent for a moment as everyone digests your words. The hum of the restaurant continues around you, but it feels distant compared to the intensity of the conversation.

"I think I need another drink," Usopp announces, unable to stand the silence any longer.

"And I am pretty sure that you don't," You told him, rolling your head to gaze at him.

"You gonna stop me?" You give Usopp a pleasant smile.

"Who am I to ruin your night?" Usopp beams before trotting off to the bar.

Nami leans in, her voice low but amused. "You know, Usopp's going to be shit-faced drunk tomorrow morning."

You glance at Usopp, who’s currently speaking to the barman. A chuckle escapes your lips.

“Looks like it,” you say, shaking your head. "It'll be entertaining in the meantime.

Usopp catches the tail end of your conversation and grins at you with bleary eyes. “Hey, I can handle my liquor just fine!” he protests, though his words slur slightly.

Nami raises an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And who’s going to carry you back to the ship when you pass out?”

Usopp waves a dismissive hand. “I’ll be fine,” he insists, his grin widening. “Besides, I’ve got Vee here to watch my back. She and her suave gaze will shut down anyone who dares to cross me.”

You smirk at him. “I’ll make sure you don’t drown in your own drool,” you promise.

Zoro snorts into his beer, clearly entertained by the exchange. “He’ll be a mess tomorrow,” he remarks, almost fondly.

"And amusing until then," you say before glancing between Nami and Zoro. "Now are you two going to stop sitting in depressive silence? You're spoiling the atmosphere."

"He does have a certain grace about him. Like a frantic, uncoordinated..." Nami trails off as the three of your watch Usopp drunkenly dance to the music playing.

"Sea slug." Zoro offers, turning his gaze away from the dancing Usopp to look back at you and Nami. Nami snorts, a flicker of a smile appearing.

"Or perhaps a monkey?" You offer, "he is very…"

"Carefree," Nami finishes for you. "Like he doesn't have a care in the world."

"An enviable state," you murmur, lowering your gaze to the empty glass of wine you had finished over an hour ago. It had been a light-bodied wine, suggested by the barman when you had asked about a wine to refresh your palette. You hadn't been disappointed.

You watch Usopp dance, your mind wandering as the noise of the Baratie fades into a dull hum. At times, when you have a few too many glasses of wine, enough to actually make you relax, your mind reminds you of the consequences of your actions, and how you can never go back on your deeds. Had the devil fruit really been worth loosing the sea?

Perhaps, perhaps not. You blink yourself out of those thoughts of doubt as Zoro's question echoes in your ears. "What are you carrying around that's so heavy?"

"You have no idea." Nami replies, her gaze just as heavy as the implied words.

"Are you two about to get into a conversation that will ruin my mood?" You asked, focusing your eyes on Nami.

"That depends on what Zoro has to say," She coolly replies. You glance at the green haired man only to see a waiter striding up to your group with a glass of wine on a tray.

The waiter approaches, a polite smile plastered on his face. He holds a tray with a single glass of wine balanced on it. "A gentleman has sent this for you, madam" he says, his eyes briefly meeting yours before he sets the glass down in front of you.

You blink, caught off guard. "What?" Your taste in wine is notoriously picky; the odds of this mystery man guessing correctly are slim. Closer to zero actually. Still, you lift the glass and bring it to your nose, expecting disappointment.

"Your actually gonna accept that?" Zoro grunts, knowing full well your snobbishness when it came to wine.

"Can't hurt to take a whiff," You reply before swirling the glass beneath your nose.

The aroma hits you like a tsunami. The familiar bouquet of dark cherries, subtle spices, and a hint of earthiness wafts up. You freeze in your seat, the memory crashing into you like a rampant tidal wave.

Your grip tightens around the stem of the glass but you refuse to further react. Well this certainly complicates things. Particularly because when you had met the gentleman in question, you had no idea who he was. You hadn't crossed paths with him again, hadn't made any effort to. Now the cross on your shoulder burns. Your gaze flickers.

Zoro’s eyes narrow as he studies your reaction. “What, is the wine that terrible to your incredibly picky taste?”

A smirk tugs at the corner of your mouth and you take a sip of the wine. The familiar taste washes over your tongue, evoking memories you’d rather keep buried. “Oh no, it’s actually quite excellent,” you reply, setting the glass back down. “He always had excellent taste.”

Nami raises an eyebrow in confusion. “Wait, you know who sent it?” You don't reply, choosing to quietly sip and savor the glass of wine as memories flood your mind. She realizes that you won't be saying anything further and chooses to turn her mind back to the drinking game she and Zoro start.

The chatter of the restaurant fades as you sink deeper into your thoughts. Suddenly, Usopp’s voice cuts through the haze like a knife.

“Guys, meet my new best friend,” Usopp slurs, stumbling slightly as he leans against the bar. “What did you say your name was again?” A hush falls over the Baratie and you wonder who Usopp managed to blab his mouth into 'friendship'. You are entirely sure that whoever it is, they are not Usopp’s best friend.

“Which one of you is Monkey D. Luffy?” The voice is smooth but carries an edge that sends a chill down your spine. Your grasp on your glass of wine turns white as your fingers squeeze the slender stem. What did Usopp do? Blabbed to the wrong pirate for one…

Nami's eyes narrow as she shifts in her seat. “Who wants to know?” You applaud her tone of indifference and ploy of naïveté, but such tactics won’t work on him.

“I have business with your captain,” Mihawk states, his tone unwavering as you finally bother to glance at him. It is entirely unfair that he looks exactly the same, if not more delicious. His beautiful eyes flicker to yours for but a mere moment, taking in the vibrant hue of your violet gaze before looking back at Nami. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand him over.”

Nami’s eyes dart to Zoro and then you, searching for support. “We don’t know anyone named Luffy. Right, Zoro? Vee?” She elbows you lightly, trying to steer the conversation away from danger.

But Zoro is already standing, his eyes locked onto Mihawk with a mixture of awe and determination. He won't be this foolish, would he? “I’ve been following your career since I was a child,” he says with reverence. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, sir.”

Mihawk acknowledges him with a slight nod and tone of indifference. “Thank you.”

Zoro steps forward, his expression turning resolute. “Which is why it pains me to inform you that tomorrow… you’re going to die.”

"Oh for fucks sake," you can't help but blurt out, setting your glass of wine down on the table next to you harder than necessary. You know what Zoro intends, and it will lead to death.

“Wait, what?” Usopp blurts out as you rise from your seat and stalk forwards, ignoring the looming warlord. "Vee? Vee, where you going? We kinda need your badassery right now…"

"I am going to get a stronger drink," You enunciate through flared nostrils, “before I start stabbing people!” Your left eye twitches slightly on the last word as you sweep past Mihawk and set your gaze on the barman at the end of the open air room. You don't bother hearing the rest of Zoro's statement because you already know what he plans.

You push through the crowd, ignoring the mix of curious and alarmed faces turning toward Mihawk and Zoro. The bartender looks up, eyes widening slightly at your irked expression and blazing violet eyes.

"Whiskey Peak, your best,” you snap, voice tight. "Double."

The bartender nods quickly, grabbing a bottle and pouring a generous amount into a glass. You take it without another word, and proceed to shoot the entire drink back until your throat burned and the alcohol was rushing to your veins. You slam the glass back to the bar top, before slapping down enough Berry to cover your impromptu drink and stalking away from the bar to get some much needed air.

Date Published: 10/14/24

Last Edit: 10/14/24

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[wesleysniperking]

Usopp and Yasopp: Guardians of Syrup Village – A Legacy of Protection and Skill (tl;dr)

Imagine growing up in a quiet village, where the only excitement comes from your own imagination. Now, picture yourself honing a unique skill, not just for fun, but to protect your home from unseen threats. This is the untold story of Usopp and his father Yasopp, and their hidden legacy as the silent protectors of Syrup Village.

Usopp's Representation in the One Piece Narrative

I've been thinking a lot about Usopp and what he represents in the One Piece narrative. There's so much to explore beyond his psyche and future role in the final saga. The possibilities are endless. Usopp's character is a profound representation of African culture, but his traits also resonate with other cultures, especially those that value storytelling and tactical prowess in battle, such as Indigenous cultures.

Yasopp and Usopp: A Connection

I made a connection between Usopp and Yasopp. Historically, Native Americans protected their homes from enemy forces using stealth, guerrilla tactics, and homemade melee weapons. They hid in the woods and forests, in tune with nature. I consider Native Americans and their Canadian counterparts the first American snipers. What if Yasopp and Usopp played a similar protector role for Syrup Village?

Yasopp: The Early Protector of Syrup Village

Before Yasopp joined Red-Haired Shanks' crew, he was an inhabitant of Syrup Village and a phenomenal shooter. Many people criticize Usopp for not having a proper mentor like the rest of his crewmates. But what if Yasopp spent his time in Syrup Village honing his skills through endless practice?

Before joining Shanks' crew, Yasopp was a typical country boy from Syrup Village. The village was quiet, which likely bored Yasopp. To pass the time, he played outside and practiced his shooting skills for hours. He familiarized himself with every nook and cranny of the village. This practice made him a master sniper. Yasopp used his skills to protect the village. When potential threats approached, Yasopp would hide and take them out with precision, preventing them from reaching the villagers.

No one in the village knew Yasopp was behind the mysterious defenses. Strangers and pirates who tried to invade Syrup Village would suddenly find themselves under fire from an unseen assailant. They didn't know who he was, what he looked like, or even his name. They only knew they were being chased away by a relentless sniper. This earned Yasopp the nickname "Chaser," a testament to his ability to strike fear into intruders without ever being seen.

Yasopp's actions remained unknown to the villagers, who never realized they had a silent protector. Word spread among pirates about an unseen sharpshooter in Syrup Village, attracting Shanks' attention. In One Piece Strong World Film Episode 0, Yasopp is shown on a cliff watching the ocean, a testament to his vigilance. Shanks, impressed by Yasopp's skills, invited him to join his crew.

Usopp: Following in His Father's Footsteps

Banchina, Usopp's mother, called her husband a brave warrior because she knew he protected the village. Although Usopp didn't know this, he aspired to be a brave warrior like his father. After his mother's death, Usopp practiced sniping with his trusty brown slingshot. He spent a decade perfecting his skills, from the age of seven to seventeen, before Luffy recruited him. Usopp trained by shooting at various targets and learning stealth skills. He became familiar with Syrup Village and its surroundings, which is why he is so closely associated with nature.

Usopp's connection with nature was further strengthened when Kuma sent him to Boin Archipelago, a man-eating island, to perfect his link with nature, stealth, and sniping. This training was akin to Indigenous cultures' walkabouts and vision quests.

The Value of Self-Teaching

Neither Yasopp nor Usopp had mentors, but this lack of formal training is not a disadvantage. The dedication and strenuous nature of self-teaching is invaluable and notable. Yasopp and Usopp exemplify how relentless practice and an unwavering commitment to self-improvement can forge extraordinary skills. They didn't rely on external guidance; instead, they carved their own paths, honing their abilities through sheer determination and countless hours of practice.

The 10,000-Hour Rule and Usopp's Mastery

Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule states that it takes around 10,000 hours of deliberate practice (a decade) to become an expert in a field. Usopp, practicing from age seven to seventeen, certainly met this criterion. Yasopp likely did the same, which explains their exceptional skills.

Syrup Village: Sniper Island

Based on this theory, Syrup Village and the Gecko Islands could very well be considered Sniper Island. The landscape and disposition of Syrup Village are perfect for snipers. The village's quiet, rural setting provided Yasopp and Usopp with the ideal environment to practice their shooting skills without distractions. The natural terrain, with its hills, forests, and cliffs, offered numerous vantage points and hiding spots, crucial for mastering the art of sniping.

The strategic advantage of Syrup Village's landscape is evident. Yasopp and Usopp could observe incoming threats from a distance, using the elevated terrain to their advantage. The dense forests provided cover and concealment, allowing them to take out enemies with precision while remaining hidden. This mastery of their environment made them formidable protectors of their village, embodying the essence of what it means to be a sniper.

Usopp: Protector of Syrup Village

Usopp, like his father, played the role of protector for Syrup Village. He kept an eye on the ocean for strangers and unknown people approaching the village. Usopp's practice of yelling about pirate arrivals, though often seen as mere entertainment, actually taught him valuable skills. He learned to run and hide, essential abilities for a sniper. This experience helped him hide from Chew during the Arlong Park arc and shoot the fish-man to save Genzo.

Usopp's actions as a protector were similar to his father's. Both were the "silent enemies" to those who encroached upon Syrup Village, safeguarding their beloved hometown in secrecy.

Conclusion

Yasopp’s role as a protector of Syrup Village is highly believable and consistent with the One Piece canon. Yasopp’s actions and reputation support the idea that he was a vigilant guardian of his village, a legacy that Usopp inherits and continues. This thematic consistency adds depth to both characters and enriches the narrative of One Piece, making their story one of profound legacy and enduring protection.

By exploring this connection, we can appreciate the layers of storytelling that Oda weaves into his world, making each character's journey not only a personal quest but also a continuation of a legacy that shapes their identity and purpose. Usopp’s skills and his role as a protector are a testament to the influence of his father and the cultural heritage they both represent. This theory not only aligns with the established canon but also enhances our understanding of the characters and their significance in the One Piece universe.

So next time someone doubts Usopp's training or his place in the crew, remember the legacy of Yasopp and the hidden guardianship of Syrup Village. It’s a story of dedication, protection, and the silent, unseen heroes who shape the world from the shadows. Let’s give Usopp the credit he deserves.

Did you know?

In the military Snipers are sometimes considered and referred to as cowards because they “shoot people that can’t shoot back” and enemy snipers are a hindrance to soldiers because they’re an added variable in battle that can’t be ignored but it makes things harder since Snipers can’t be seen or easily dealt with. Snipers can “turn tail” and run away from there spot before anyone gets to them.

(Argument here and here if we apply snipers in One Piece to something in the real world. I might be taking it too seriously).

related links:

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[zonaenthusiast]

Which kpop group do I think suit every mugiwara the best? And would they be a boy group or a girl group stan?

This is because yesterday I had a specific revelation and I started thinking about it in general, so here are my ideas:

Luffy as Seventeen

Luffy has been one of the ones I've had to think about the most but then it occurred to me that he would really like Seventeen. They have a very fresh and fun concept in general that really suits Luffy and they are one of the very few groups that, despite being together for almost ten years, have never lost members. And that's even stranger considering there are so many of them. They love each other as much as the mugiwara love each other and Luffy would adore them (get it?) for that.

Bg or gg stan? Both.

Zoro as The Boyz

For Zoro I have come up with several groups that could fit very well with him like Ateez or Stray Kids, but I have ended up opting for The Boyz because there is a very specific homoerotic component in their music that very few groups are able to replicate. The bisexual energy they give off reminds me too much of Zoro not to choose them.

Bg or gg stan? Both, but their concept has to be dark.

Nami as (G)I-DLE

This is the revelation I had after listening to Gidle's new song, Nami would fucking love them. Just pure female representation and empowerment. Gidle's last three comebacks (Tomboy/Nxde/Queencard) are three different representations of how a woman can express her femininity and all are valid (Nami in particular is so Queencard coded and Robin would be more Nxde coded, I think).

Bg or gg stan? I think she would like some bgs but she would be mostly a gg stan.

Usopp as EXO

NOW HEAR ME OUT because I know this one sounds weird, but I think Usopp would love Exo's storytelling. The clone lore? He would eat that shit up. Besides, I don't know why but I think Usopp wouldn't listen to just anything and Exo is one of the most talented groups there is, so...

I think Usopp would like groups that focus on storytelling or have very defined concepts, Vixx would be another option that I think fits him very well.

Bg or gg stan? Both.

Sanji as Girl's Generation

This one was also very clear to me. Sanji would listen to ggs exclusively and I feel that only the most iconic gg would be the right choice for him. He would be so Yoona biased. And he is one of those who would know her choreographies to perfection.

Bg or gg stan? As I said, gg stan exclusively.

Chopper as GFRIEND

My main pick for Chopper is Gfriend because the powerful innocence concept they are known for reminds me a lot of him. I think StayC or fromis_9 concepts also fit him very well.

Bg or gg stan? Both.

Robin as Red Velvet

I don't know how to explain this but if you know about Red Velvet concepts you know I'm right. There's something so unique and peculiar about their music that matches every part of Robin's taste and personality. Red Velvet are the epitome of one of my favorite kpop concepts, which I call cute but murderous. Just watch their Russian Roulette mv and you will understand.

Robin would write a fucking essay on why everyone is wrong and Zimzalabim is actually the best kpop song ever.

Bg or gg stan? Both, as long as their music is the strangest succession of sounds you've ever heard in your life.

Franky as Monsta X

Just himbos, I don't have anything else to say.

Bg or gg stan? I think he would tend to listen to bgs a little bit more, but both regardless.

Brook as Dreamcatcher

Oh, I just know Brook would love Dreamcatcher. Women? Check. Rock style? Check. Horror concept? Check. They are perfect for him, it makes so much sense.

Bg or gg stan? Not as exclusively as Sanji because music is music, but gg stan.

Jinbe as MAMAMOO

Jinbe would love every Mamamoo member's unhinged personality as much as he loves Luffy's. He would have so much fun with them and their concepts and their music, it's a strong feeling I have.

Bg or gg stan? Both.

[zorosangell]

⛥ﾟ・。 protector: chapter seventeen

synopsis: " you were supposed to stay a crewate, just another back to watch, " he tightened his hold, " i didn't even notice the change until i woke up one day and realized i'd take a bullet for you "

cw: violence, gore, fighting, mature themes, profanity, MAJOR/MINOR ANIME SPOILERS, follows the plot of the anime, slowww burn.

a/n: reposting from another account

After Dorry and Broggy helped the crew leave Little Garden safely, you set off for Alabasta, using the eternal pose that Sanji found in Mr. 3's hideout.

You had started your grueling training with Zoro, and you now understood why that man was the way he was.

You'd have to be in order to even survive the type of workouts he was doing.

But you all were well on your way to Alabasta, until Nami fell sick with a horrible fever. 

You did your best using some of the medical knowledge you knew from your home village to try and help her, but without some of the herbs from your homeland, you were pretty much useless.

So, after dealing with some ship-eating weirdo named Wapol, the Merry made it to this beautiful winter island.

The islanders gave the crew a pretty warm welcome, but after some convincing, Luffy, Sanji, Usopp, and Vivi went onto the island with Nami to find a doctor.

So now here you were, stuck on ship watching duty with your idiot swordsman.

"Nice. That's much better. Eh?" he smiled, clapping his bare feet together from his spot on some random crate.

You playfully rolled your eyes, shaking your head at the swordman's silliness.

"You heard Vivi, the weather out here is like 10 degrees below freezing. And it's snowing. You shouldn't have your feet out," you scolded, snuggling further into your big winter coat

"But now we can finally get back to some real training. I was getting sick of that modified training we had to do 'cause of my stupid injury," he sighed, standing up and taking off his coat, haramaki, and shirt.

"Besides, just watchin' the ship is boring as hell."

You blushed at the sight of him shirtless, quick to clear your throat in order to snap yourself out of it.

"Maybe some ice water swimming will help me clear my head. Whaddya say? Wanna join?"

You scoffed.

"You're insane. Swimming out in this weather would be a death sentence. And there's no way I'm dying with you," you dismissed.

"Besides, I'm a Devil Fruit user. I can't swim."

"Training to swim might help," he shrugged.

"That's not how that works..." you sighed.

"Suit yourself. If you're not comin' then stay with the ship, alright," he nodded, stepping up onto the ledge of the Merry.

"Yeah, whatever. If you die I'm not coming to get you," you humphed, crossing your arms disapprovingly.

"You wound me," he scoffed, shooting you his usual smirk before jumping off.

Your cheeks glowed dark red and you ran over to the rail, looking over to see him swimming down the icy river.

"Dammit, Zoro! Be careful!" you called, placing your hands at the sides of your mouth. 

"I know!" he called back, his figure getting smaller in the distance.

You huffed, watching your puff air disappearing into the frigid wind.

'Shit. This is so damn stupid. I'm so frickin' stupid.'

You turned around, only to see Karoo giving you a knowing smirk, his feathery eyebrow cocked.

"The hell you lookin' at?" you asked, snappily.

"QUAAAAAACK," he answered, pointing his wing at you, then in the direction of Zoro, then drawing a heart in the air.

You turned dark red.

'No way the duck noticed.'

"Shuddup, Karoo. You don't know anything," you scoffed, sitting down next to him. 

He huffed roughly out his nose.

"QUAAAAAAAAAK! QUAAAAK QUAAAK!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and standing up in front of you.

You cocked a brow, tilting your head in confusion.

The bird sighed, taking off his hat and fluffing up his feathers to look like Zoro's hair.

"QUAAK QUAAK, QUA QUAAK QUAAAK QUAK," he started, pretending to be Zoro walking down the deck.

He pretended to let his eyes drift to you, then made himself blush, quacking under his breath as he averted his eyes.

You blushed.

'Is this... what Zoro does?'

"QUAAAK QUAAAK, QUAAK QUAAK QUA QUAAK,"' Karoo stated, pointing in Zoro's direction, drawing a heart in the air, pointing at you, and then stretching out his wings to show bigness.

You sighed, a strong gust of frozen wind making you violently shiver, "Whatever you say, you damn duck. Just come over here. It's getting really cold."

Karoo huffed, waddling over and plopping himself down next to you, using his wing to cover you as you snuggled into his feathers.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence... you damn duck," you groggily smiled, letting out a loud yawn before slowly drifting to sleep.

Karoo smiled, contently sighing before snuggling back into you.

A sharp gust of wind quickly woke you up, making you pull your cheek out from Karoo's feathers.

You snapped your head up to the sky, measuring the Sun to see that it was a little further behind from what it was when Zoro left.

'It's impossible for the sun to go back. So that means...'

"SHIT!" you realized, jumping up from the deck.

You quickly took off your coat, unfurling your wings.

"QUAAAAAAAAK?!" Karoo asked, confused.

"Karoo, I need you to watch the ship while I go find Zoro, okay? Somehow we slept through the night and Zoro's been stuck out there in the snow," you ordered, giving the duck a firm head pat.

He nodded, giving you a thumbs up with his wing.

"Good, I'll be back as soon as I can," you smiled, shooting off in the direction Zoro went.

After hours of searching, you began to grow worried.

You couldn't find a trace of Zoro anywhere. 

Hell, you couldn't even find a trace of your crew anywhere.

'Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I knew I should've went with him. That idiot. He probably got lost somewhere.'

"I gotta find him fast or I might just freeze to death," you chattered, taking a sharp turn. 

In order to use your wings, you had to take off your coat, which meant that you were soaring through this frozen wasteland in a tube top and skirt.

'This is bad. He could've drowned, or seized up, or passed out from exhaustion. And his injury not being healed fully isn't helping.'

"Shit," you sniffed, quickly wiping your eyes of their glassiness, the wind blowing directly in your face.

You turned your gaze to ground once again, only to see the figures of Usopp and Vivi below you.

You smiled, quickly diving down and landing next to them.

"(y/n)?! What are you doing here?" Usopp asked, confused.

His face was incredibly inflamed, and he had a nice, black shiner on his right eye.

"I'm looking for Zoro. He left the ship for some ice water training, so I took a nap, and when I woke up, it was the next day and he was still nowhere to be found. I'm getting really worried. I've been searching for hours," you frantically explained, hands shaking.

"Don't worry, (y/n). We'll help you find him," Vivi smiled, placing an arm around your shoulder as she stepped forward, only for something to stand up from under her feet.

"AHHHH! MONSTER!" Usopp screamed.

But as you looked closer you noticed...

It was your idiot swordsman.

"Whoa, that was a close one. Why do I feel like I dreamed about a field of flowers?" he asked, his teeth chattering violently.

"Hit by an avalanche in the middle of a training session, not exactly an ideal workout. Though it is kinda like swimming in snow."

You smiled and quickly tackled the poor man in a hug, taking him to the ground.

"Huh? (y/n)?! What the hell are you doing? I thought you were watching the ship," he asked, confused as you wrapped your arms tightly around his neck.

"You damn idiot! You scared the hell outta me!" you scolded with a smile, pulling your face out his chest and looking up at him happily.

His breath hitched, and his familiar tinge of red came to his cheeks.

"I told your dumb ass not to go out in this weather, especially dressed like that. Take this."

You both stood up and handed him his coat, your cheeks lighting up at the two behind you, who were giggling and burning their knowing looks into the back of your head.

"Thanks. But what about you? You're wearin' less than me," Zoro realized as he was halfway into the coat, starting to take it off again.

"I can't fly with the coat on. So I'll just have to deal 'til I don't have to fly anymore. I'll be fine," you waved off, pretending you weren't violently shaking.

The swordsman gave you a quick once over, before throwing one half of the coat over your shoulder and grabbing your waist, pulling you closer.

Your eyes went wide, and you looked up to the man for an explanation.

"Now we both won't freeze to death. If you have to fly you can just come out from your side," he huffed, averting his eyes from you as a tinge of red grew on his cheeks.

And not from the cold.

You smiled.

"You feel like a block of ice... but thanks," you contently sighed, scooching closer.

The two of you turned to Vivi and Usopp, who were still wiggling their eyebrows, before you all decided to start moving again. 

"Anyway, Zoro, you were really winter swimming?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, that was the idea. But after swimming in the river for a while, I had no idea where I was anymore. So I started walkin' around, doin' some strength training workouts," Zoro explained.

"Woulda saved me the trouble if (y/n) hadn't been so stubborn and just tagged along."

"I told you, dumbass, I can't swim," you groaned.

"Either way, doing workouts dressed like that? In cold weather? You're real stupid, aren't you," Usopp scolded.

"That's not the point, Usopp. Now shut up and give me your shoes," Zoro hissed.

"Not a chance."

'Maybe this is why Nami's sick. The fuckin' stress of dealing with these two.'

"Then just one shoe!"

"Nope."

"It's one shoe!"

"I said no! You did this to yourself!"

"Hey, look guys. There's some people over there," Vivi pointed out.

Ahead, there were two different crowds of people, one of them looking a lot like men of the Wavepool or Woodstool guy the crew met earlier.

The others seemed to look like the villagers that shot Vivi.

"This place is Big Horn. We just came back, but it looks completely different covered in snow."

"They have coats," you smirked, turning to Zoro.

"And they were the guys who attacked us at sea," he smirked back, already thinking the same thing.

"Oh no. I know those looks," Usopp sighed.

The both of you threw off your shared coat, running up the snowy hill to the warmly dressed soldiers.

You did a roundhouse kick and the guy took it to the head, while Zoro just straight up punched another one.

"Zoro! (y/n)! What are you doing?!" Vivi exclaimed.

"This is so warm! I really like this thing," Zoro smiled, rubbing his newly coated shoulders.

"It smells like dude but I'm not complaining," you cheesed, looking down at your feet and wiggling your toes in the snow boots.

"Watch out, you two! They don't look very happy!" Usopp called, pointing to the men behind you.

Out of habit, you were going to unfurl your wings, but the coat was keeping you from doing so.

And in no time flat, Zoro had already handled them. The men were on the ground, slashed and writhing in pain.

"Shame. Over already," he taunted.

"Zoro, can you make two openings in my coat? I wanna be able to stick out my wings and still be warm," you asked.

"Sure," he picked up a sword and quickly slashed, cutting out two perfectly sized holes.

But of course, not without giving you a heart attack.

"Careful!" you scolded, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow! What's the matter with you?! I did what you asked!" he exclaimed.

"Not like that! You almost cut my wings off!" you fired back, poking out your wings through the holes.

"Whatever! You got a coat and you have your wings free. So there's no reason to argue," Usopp groaned, pushing the two of you apart.

"Now we gotta figure out our next step."

"Secret Technique: God's Messenger, Twelve Point," you whispered, closing your eyes and breathing deeply.

Just like that, about twelve of your feathers popped off, floating in the air.

"Do you guys know where Luffy and Sanji are?" you asked, turning to Usopp and Vivi.

"They headed up the mountain to find a witch doctor who lives at the top of it. She's the only doctor on the island," Vivi answered.

"Alright, scour the mountain to find Luffy and Sanji. Once you find them, help them up to the top of the mountain safely," you ordered your feathers, them quickly zipping off once you were finished.

"I remember that technique. One of your feathers helped me out back in Cocoyashi village," Usopp smiled.

"Mhmm. They can fly in any weather, are obedient, and won't give up on a task unless I order them to. Only downside is when I send them away, I've lost that many feathers. So if I send away too many, it could impair my flying ability," you explained.

"Even with (y/n)'s feathers search for those three, I still feel we should go up the mountain. I'm getting worried, and sitting here doing nothing isn't gonna help if those three are trapped in the avalanche," Vivi proposed.

"You have a lot on your shoulders right now, worrying about Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and Alabasta. But can't you see it? You have too many burdens on your shoulders. You gotta calm down. I believe in those three. They'll get through whatever's thrown at them, I bet my life on it," Usopp assured.

Vivi sighed, gathering her composure.

"You're right. Thanks a lot, Usopp. You're full of wisdom," she smiled.

"No, he's full of crap. He's just afraid to go up that mountain," Zoro rolled his eyes, roughly poking Usopp in the forehead.

"But I heard that there were things like yetis and man-eating bunnies up there! I don't wanna get eaten!" Usopp defended.

"Then say so from the start, coward," Zoro scoffed.

You rolled your eyes and walked over to the girl.

"Telling you to not worry is all well and good, but if you really wanna check on them then let's go," you sighed, picking her up and tossing her on your back.

"Huh?! (y/n)! You don't have to do this! Really! I don't want to cause you the trouble!" She frantically tried to reason.

"Please. I do it for these idiots all the time," you assured, tucking Usopp and Zoro under your arms.

"WAIT! NO! PLEAAAAAASE (Y/N)! I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS!" Usopp cried, squirming in your grip.

"PUT ME DOWN, WOMAN! I CAN GO MYSELF!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Here we go!" you blasted off, ignoring their complaints.

"(Y/NNNNNNNNNNNNNN)!" they all screamed in unison.

[frankencanon]

AU where Sabo's ship never got blown up by Celestial Dragons:

One Piece "For Want of a Nail" AU where Sabo's ship never got blown up and he managed to sail away safely as he had originally planned.

Maybe he left from a different port or at a different time, or maybe the Celestial Dragons visited on a different day — maybe the Celestial Dragon was distracted when they came into port and didn't see him or his little ship.

Either way, Sabo managed to make his way off the island safely at the young age of ten — witnessed by Dogura, who reports back to the others about Sabo's (safe) departure.

And so Sabo is off, all by himself on his dingy little ship as an overpowered ten year old in the East Blue looking to start a crew and make his way to the Grand Line... What could happen?

Who will he meet? Will he start a crew or join one? Will Ace get kidnapped seven or so years later only to discover his long-lost brother is in cahoots with his kidnappers?

Will he encounter any famous East Blue pirates, like Buggy or Arlong? Are they even in the East Blue yet? What about Don Krieg?

What about some friendly faces? Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro — has Sanji even met Zeff yet? Has the Baratie been built? Has Zoro started training? Is Kuina still alive? What about Bell-mère — has Nami been blackmailed into serving the Arlong Pirates yet? Is Usopp's mother still alive? Has Klahadore washed up on the shores of Syrup Island yet?

...and can Sabo help with any of this?

He's not seventeen year old Luffy; He's a ten year old (albeit overpowered) child. Still, unlike his brothers he tends to fight a little more logically, and a little less emotionally.

Can he take these people on physically? Maybe, maybe not. But can he think up an underhanded plan to sneakily take them down? Yes, absolutely.

Another question to ponder:

Will he make waves, or will he prefer to stay unnoticed for a while? Will he even be able to, if he's going around taking out powerful (for the East Blue, at least) pirates?

How long until he finally crosses over into the Grand Line?

[swagglessmoth]

Ok so it’s this fic

I literally cannot stop thinking about it. I love aus that explore how a character’s personality would change due to different butterfly effects ( in this case Roger’s illness not taking place)

I also like “But the sea changes colors” by the same author. It’s the same idea with Roger still living but a different funnier approach (though I fear this fic might’ve been already discontinued it’s worth checking out)

Anyways this fic starts with the preview that Roger never got ill and the Roger pirates are still going strong in the new world. They are awaiting “the chosen one” whom will bring the dawn of the world and think they know who it is. Ace, Roger’s son. Though for some unknown reason he ran away and because of that they keep waiting for him in the new world until his return. Then, in the east blue, a pirate steals Luffy’s hat and he being furious, goes out to sea to look for him.

This is just the summary put in other words, but I’d like to point some things out. Like the fact that Ace, for some reason, ran away. I suspect that this is because he felt some kind of pressure form the Roger pirates and his parents themselves, as they fully believe he is the one the sea kings talked about. This may have caused him some kind of resentment (cause we know how feisty Ace is) and made him rebel by running away from home.

((Also, with the whole Roger not getting ill thing. Rouge would still be alive (my wife) and Ace would be a year and a half older as his mother didn’t carry him for 20 months))

Then onto Luffy. We know (well at least I think I do by reading the author’s ao3 comments and assuming the rest) that Luffy grew up lonely. He didn’t get the inspiration to be a pirate form Shanks as he didn’t ever go to Dawn island, that and having Shanks as an idol was what in canon shaped Luffy’s ideals and made him such an optimist. In this au however, he stayed lonely and supposedly with no friends his whole childhood (we still don’t know anything about his relationship with Sabo or if they even met as children at all, but we do know asl don’t become brothers as stated in the tags)

He grew up as a lonely angsty kid and we know how badly loneliness affects Luffy (“being lonely is worse than getting hurt”) we don’t know when on this timeline Garp decided to bring Luffy with the bandits but he did in the end assuming by the read beads on Luffy’s neck like canon Ace ( this may be hinting at Luffy growing up like Ace in canon, having been with the bandits his whole life instead of being brought there one day) (this would mean Luffy never met Makino :’(). In this timeline Luffy would have no reason to hate bandits other than out of spite, as the bandit incident with Shanks never happened

With all this we can assume a few things. Shanks has both his arms. Luffy doesn’t have either his scar or his devil fruit ( he may be yet to eat the Nika fruit cause zoans are said to choose their users, but idk if the author will care ab that and just leave Luffy to be punching ppl like Garp). Luffy won’t be able to bond with Usopp ab the red haired pirates because Yasopp never got to tell him about his son ( this will make it difficult to get Usopp’s trust in Syrup village)

Now about the mysterious pirate that stole Luffy’s precious hat. By reading ao3 comments and looking into the story I think it’s a bit safe to assume that It’s Ace (even though it could be someone else I doubt it). That author has made pretty simple parallels between Ace and Luffy (the straw hat being given to ace, Luffy having “Ace’s” hat, the read bead necklace, etc). This means that after Ace ran away he ended up all the way on Dawn island, found Luffy and for some reason stole his hat and gave him his. I suspect that that could’ve been a way to distance himself from his father, as the people close to Roger would recognize the hat whether they know Ace or not. By giving Luffy the straw hat he could be symbolizing “putting the burden” onto Luffy and him being free of it by having a new hat (Luffy’s)

Idk if I worded anything weirdly, english is not my first language. I’ll make much more of these, I’m just tired rn

I’m just gonna rant about my fave fic here bc I’m embarrassed about the amount of comments I leave on ao3

[whirlybirdwhat]

a piece for the it’s pirates zerver sine: home: built stolen lost found

When Luffy is three, alone and abandoned in the world besides a grandfather who is never there, and a bartender who tries her best to be, he asks Makino a single question.

It’s from a phrase he had heard patrons of the bar say as they pushed back their seats and headed out the door, a phrase Gramps had said as he slammed through walls with a smile, a phrase, a word he had never known he meaning of. 

“Makino? What’s home?” 

Makino looks down at him, tugging on her skirts, and kneels down with a smile. “Well – home is a place your family is, and where you feel happy and safe. It’s a place where you stay, and can have a bedroom, and a place to put all your toys and belongings. Sometimes, it can even be a person!” She says  it so happily, so brightly, but Luffy only looks at her with wide, wide eyes. 

“Oh,” he says, and clutches harder to the toy boat in his hands. Oh. 

It is then, that moment, strikingly clear, that Luffy realizes he doesn’t have a home. 

(His grandfather is never here, Makino is good but she isn’t quite family, not in the way he knows it, and he had a small attic to call his without a view of the sea.) 

And, quietly, realizes that he doesn’t want one. 

(To have a place to stay, to remain still, to place all burdens on another? To call home somewhere stationary, unmoving, unwanted? It sounded like hell.)

Oh, he says again. Oh. 

-

When Luffy is six, alone and abandoned in a small village by the sea that he could never leave, he asks Shanks a question. 

It is a question that had been lingering in the dredges of his mind, ever since these pirates had barged through the door with songs on their lips and adventures in their minds, with not that word that he didn’t have leaving their mouths but rather tales of ships and voyages and seas.

“Shanks? Where’s your home?”

Shanks looks down at him, eyebrows quirking upward as he finishes his drink with a flourish before setting it down with a soft clink. His eyes are just as soft, like some how he understands that this is different from when Luffy asked about his favorite battles, when Luffy asked for a sip of his drink or if Shanks really had been at the bottom of the sea when he was Luffy’s age. 

“Home? Easy – it’s the sea, anchor!”

“The sea?” Luffy had never heard something more stupid, and that was saying a lot since all the stupid things he heard of were from Shanks. That wasn’t what Makino had told him, wasn’t what Gramps had explained, wasn’t anything like where your family is or place you stay. It was the sea – endless and vast and full of danger and sea kings and marines that like to give you Fists of Love and don’t come back. The sea didn’t have a place to have belongings or keep yourself safe. It – 

It doesn’t make sense. 

“The sea!” Shanks says with a grin, a sparkle in his eye like he gets before stands on tables and talks about the time he sailed to a land of samurai. “It’s any pirate’s home! It’s where our adventures await, and where our nakama are with us, and every day it bright than the rest, ain’t that right, fellas!”

“Aye, captain!” The crew drunkenly choruses, words already forming on their lips. 

“How does that one chorus go?”

“Which one?”

“Oh, I know! Gather up all the crew – “

“It’s time to ship out Bink’s Brew!” Shanks joins in, holding his hands out to Luffy and not even waiting till he grabs them to snatch him up in a dance. “Pirates, we eternally are challenging the sea.” His voice is joyful and loud with the way men get when the party in in swing, but there’s nothing but happiness in his steps as he guides Luffy onto his feet and twirls him around.

 “With the waves to rest our heads,  ship beneath us as our beds, hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies! Yohohoho-“

“Oi! Wrong part captain! It goes like this – “

“Dahahaha!” Shanks ignores them, only to bend down to Luffy’s level. “A pirates’ home is where he’s happy, Luffy. My home is with my crew and with some drink – or an adventure – in my hand. That’s the sea for me. Got it?”

Luffy doesn’t, but as Shanks sweeps him up into another round of Bink’s brew, he’s starting to find that the answer doesn’t really matter, not when he’s not alone here, with Shanks and pirates all around him

“Yohohoho, yohohoho!”

-

Luffy is seven, and he’s finally figured out what home is. Home is his brothers, running through the jungle, laughter and adventure and fun is every step. Home is the way Ace smiles when he thinks no one is looking, and the way Sabo is always the first to say Let’s explore! Home is coming home to a tree house, and never being alone. 

Home is Ace and Sabo and Ace and Sabo and – 

Home is burning. 

Home is dead.

Luffy feels hollow, feels like the world is crumbling out from underfoot, because everyone said that home could be a person but they never said that home could burn. That home could die. That home could go away and never, ever come back. 

Maybe that’s why Shanks said home is the sea and why Makino said that home is a place and only sometimes a person – because people leave and burn and never come back, and seas can’t burn or be destroyed. 

Luffy is seven, and he realizes again that he doesn’t want a home, not anymore, because all home does is burn. 

(Then, there’s a promise and a vow and Luffy is never going to lose home again.)

-

Luffy is seventeen, and he’s been alone for three years but not anymore because this time – this time he has a home that won’t burn, that won’t leave, because he is their captain and he will protect them. 

Home is Zoro and his quiet smiles, home is Nami, and her ink-stained hands, home is Usopp and stories that roll off the tongue, home is Sanji and meals made for comfort, home is Vivi and her kindness however far away, home is Chopper and his hugs, home is Robin and her cryptic statements, home is Merry, sturdy and true, home is – 

Ace, and Ace won’t burn because Ace is made of fire. Home can’t burn again. It can’t. 

It can’t.

-

Luffy is seventeen, and home is burning by his own hands. It’s a funeral, the only one worthy of Merry because the bottom of the sea is a dark place and she deserves a sendoff to light her way but – 

It’s fire, non-the-less, reminding Luffy of how Grey Terminal’s fire looked by the shore, and home – Merry, with her black eyes and painted smile, with her strong planks and her determined heart, Merry, home – 

It’s burning.

(He’s starting to think that maybe home isn’t what he’s always called it before – people and places that make you happy, that keep you safe.

Maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s something that’s only this way because of him. 

Maybe – )

Sunny won’t burn, will never burn with a hull of Adam’s Wood, but Merry does, and it hurts. 

-

Luffy is seventeen and home is burning. 

This time – 

This time – 

This time – 

It burns it burns it burns it hurts it hurts Ace Ace Ace Ace why no Ace Ace please – 

Home burns in his arms, his big brother who is made of fire, who can’t be burned, burns in his arms, and it drips drips drips down onto Luffy’s chest and he can’t let go because this is home and this home can’t burn but it does and – 

“Thank you for loving me.”

Home burns. 

(It always does.)

“AAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

-

Luffy is eighteen and Ruskaina is sweltering and his chest is burning burning burning but he’s not home. 

He’s not. 

He’s…

He’s not alone. He’s not home. His crew (ZoroNamiUsoppSanjiViviChopperRobinFrankyBrook) is still there, still existing, but they are not home, any longer.

Maybe he is, to them. He’s burned, after all, he fits his own criteria. But they aren’t to him.

On Ruskaina, he makes this decision. He vows it, under the sweltering sun and with bandages wrapped around his chest,  with phantom pains on his finger’s where Ace’s vivre card singed him, with his mind alight with war. His crew is not his home, Sunny is not his home, because Luffy does not have a home. 

He does not want one, he does not have one, because home is a place that burns, and Luffy has been burned too many times to count.

-

Luffy is nineteen and older and stronger than all his moments before. He stands in front of his crew with a smile on his face and a burn across his chest, because he is not home, but his crew – 

His crew tumbles into his open, waiting arms, crashing him down onto to the ground as they come home. 

Luffy burns, and Luffy is home, and he will be King of the Pirates. 

For his crew – for people who are not his home but his family, his nakama, his treasure  - there is nothing else he could possibly be. 

[yukipri]

One Piece Mermaid AU!

Featuring Luffy as a rubber mermaid who can’t swim, and Ace who carries her on his back as they pirate together.

＊Genderbend warning, fem!Luffy

Sliding in last minute for MerMay, bc idk about you, but I need something to mark that May has passed this year...

~~

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. To share, please reblog! Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated!!!

~~

Base headcanons for this AU beneath the cut! ↓ ↓ ↓

Luffy's a mermaid who was raised in Fuusha village, just like in canon. And, just like in canon, despite being a mermaid, she SUCKS at swimming, a fact that Shanks finds absolutely hilarious. She still wants to become a pirate, she still eats her devil fruit and becomes a rubber mer(?), she still gets kidnapped by Higuma (who sees her as an excellent way to rake in cash, given how valuable mermaids are on the slave market), and Shanks still gives her his hat.

As a devil fruit user, Luffy's already atrocious swimming skills are now at zero. She can still breathe under water, but will sink like a stone, her strength sapped by the sea, and if she loses consciousness she'll stop breathing too. Needless to say, she stays out of the water, and the villagers come to accept that sometimes, mermaids just live on land.

Garp still comes back, and is still furious at her wanting to become a pirate (and inwardly, extremely concerned that a bandit tried to catch and sell her), and still takes her to live at Dadan's where she meets Ace.

Ace has no idea what to think of the weird fish-brat who he's now told is gonna be his sibling, and resolutely ignores Luffy. He's inwardly slightly impressed as Luffy continues to follow him through the mountain every day, not even particularly hindered by lack of legs and using a mixture of crawling, squirming, hand-walking, and ricocheting forward with rubber arms to move.

Luffy still meets Sabo the same way as canon, and is still caught by Porchemy, who at first is thrilled because a mer brat! That'll bring in WAY more money than the spare change Ace stole! But in the end, he loses his temper at Luffy's stubbornness and still beats her to a pulp.

Ace and Sabo still rescue Luffy, and they still exchange sake cups and become brothers.

Yes, brothers.

Because at this point, neither Ace nor Sabo nor any of the bandits, nor anyone really on Dawn island save Makino and Garp actually know that Luffy's a girl. Not even Luffy.

The three brothers promise to each other that they'll all leave the island when they turn seventeen, setting out to sea to become pirates (Ace and Sabo are honestly a little concerned, given how often people try to sell Luffy, and how despite aquatic appearances Luffy's vulnerable af in water, but decide to wait and see. They have seven years together, Luffy ten until seventeen, who knows how much stronger their baby brother will get in that time).

Sabo "dies."

Ace and Luffy continue to train, and things don't change until Ace is seventeen, shortly before he sets out to sea.

He's let Luffy crawl into his blanket to sleep with him (partially cold-blooded, Lu gets cold easily when inactive), and Ace realizes that his lil brother's chest feels a bit lumpy.

Concerned, he makes Luffy have it checked out by the bandits, who are shocked to find developing...breasts?

That can't be right...right?

Dadan makes a call to Garp, who snorts and says of COURSE Luffy's a girl, didn't he say granddaughter?

No, he had not, he had only mentioned "grand child."

Everyone is shocked, but none more so than Ace, who really doesn't know what to do with this new information.

(Luffy's not quite sure what a "girl" is, and when she asks Ace, Ace honestly doesn't know how to define "girl" either, so she doesn't get what the big deal is)

Ace realizes he's troubled because he can't remember the number of times he's rescued Luffy from potential traffickers, and the number of times he's heard the lament, "Pity it's not female, it'd be worth quadruple," from the kidnappers before he beats them to a pulp.

He already had doubts about letting Luffy go out to sea alone, three years after he's left. But now knowing that Luffy's a girl, and one of the most sought-after species that traffickers target...he knows the world out there is much bigger than a teeny peaceful East Blue island, and Luffy may not get lucky every time, and may not be strong enough in just three years.

But at the same time, it's not like he can order her to stay here. There's no way Luffy'd listen; the sea calls to her, freedom calls to her, and Ace understands that more than anyone.

Sabo, Ace thinks, what would you do?

The night before he leaves, Ace tells Luffy that there's been a change of plans.

He's still leaving for sea. He's going to get stronger, and work his way towards becoming Pirate King.

BUT, three years later, Luffy will NOT leave Dawn Island alone.

Ace promises that he'll come back, a stronger pirate capable of looking out for his baby brother (because girl or not, they exchanged vows of brotherhood, and that's something that can't be changed).

He refuses to let Luffy be his captain, he's still got his pride, but maybe, maybe if Luffy becomes strong enough, he'll let her be co-Captain.

Luffy is thrilled, because she wanted to be pirates WITH Ace, and grudgingly accepts the compromise, and promises to train and wait for Ace's return.

Ace leaves Dawn island, and makes a name for himself on the Grand Line (he's PISSED when he finds out he's eaten a devil fruit, because now how's he supposed to rescue Lu from drowning when he can't swim himself???).

He even eventually makes it to Whitebeard, and eventually comes to admire the man. Whitebeard invites him to his crew, and Ace honestly replies that a large part of him wants to accept...but he can't. He promised his baby brother that they'll be pirates and co-captains together, and he can't join another pirate crew without Luffy agreeing too. Even so, and he knows it's selfish of him, he wants to call Whitebeard his father.

Whitebeard tells him that Ace is already his son, regardless of where his allegiances lie, and gives him his blessing to return to East Blue to fetch Luffy. Whitebeard laughs that he can't wait to meet the lil brat that Ace speaks so highly of, and for Ace to hurry up and come back to the New World so they can meet.

Ace plans on traveling light, his former crew all choosing to join the Whitebeard pirates except for his first mate, Deuce. Ace loves his crew, but they're also his crew, and knows that he wants to make their crew with Luffy. So he thinks he and Deuce will be a good starting point (You're just bringing me along bc you want someone who can swim on the crew, Deuce accuses).

As they're planning on leaving, Marco lets slip to fellow commander Thatch that he heard that Ace's "little brother" is actually a super cute girl.

The next morning, Thatch shows up too, insisting that he come along, because hey! He's been with the Whitebeards for ages and hasn't been to Paradise in a while, he wants some change! And won't it be nice to have someone as reliable as him along, just until they get back to the New World and reunite with the Whitebeards? Really he has no ulterior motives like wanting to check out Ace's supposedly hyper hot baby brother-sister!

Ace is suspicious, but Thatch is already on board and the other Whitebeards are already waving so he lets it go.

(Shortly after they leave, Thatch discovers a devil fruit. Deuce tells him to sell the damn thing, it'll taste like shit, but Thatch thinks boy wouldn't it be great to be able to woo Ace's hot brother with a really cool devil fruit power. So he eats it, and yeah it tastes like shit, but now he can control Darkness which is sorta badass?)

(Somewhere on the Whitebeard ships, Blackbeard is still waiting for someone to find the darkness devil fruit, and well, it doesn't happen)

Before Ace returns to Dawn Island, part of him still hopes that Luffy looks passably like a guy. Having been to Fishman island, having befriended Jinbe, he knows that while mermen can still be targeted, mermaids are exponentially more vulnerable. He's learned the kinds of clothing that can help conceal tails, and is hoping that there's a slim chance they might be able to be pirates without the world knowing that Lu's a mermaid.

His hopes are shot when Luffy rockets into his arms at the dock, and his face is immediately buried in enormous tits that definitely weren't there three years ago.

Despite Ace's growing concerns (and red face; why does he feel so hot??? It's not his devil fruit...), Ace lets Luffy give Deuce a beating (why me?!) to claim her position as Ace's Co-Captain of the newly established ASL pirates (because if we're pirates together, Sabo has to be with us too!).

Luffy's gotten a lot stronger, but is still utterly ignorant of the outside world and the dangers it holds (such as the drooling Thatch who immediately wins Luffy over with his cooking despite Ace's burning glares). She's reckless and falls into the ocean every damn day, and while Deuce dives in after her and they've discovered her useful ability to talk to fish to ask for help, it still gives Ace heart attacks.

They still pick up more crew members while in East Blue, including Roronoa Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji, a pervy cook who competes daily with Thatch for Luffy's affections through food (Luffy appreciates the food).

At Arlong Park, Luffy encounters fishmen for the first time in her life. Arlong mocks Luffy's choice of friends and family, and invites her to join his crew made of her own kind. Fishmen and mer are the superior race, and Luffy will make a fine wife, Arlong says.

Luffy breaks his nose off, and Nami joins their crew.

Luffy's chosen mode of transportation is on the back of one of her sturdier crew mates, usually Ace, but often Zoro too. She unfortunately hates all the long skirts/robes Ace suggested for her to hide her tail, and so Ace has decided that being as intimidating as possible while carrying his brother glued to his back is the only way to go.

Needless to say, news of the former Spade Pirates Captain + Whitebeard Commander Thatch (are they an extension of the Whitebeards??) establishing the new ASL pirates spreads fast. That, and rumors that there's a beautiful young mermaid on board who can't swim. And despite the strength of the crew and their attempts at vigilance, Luffy's still dumb and gullible, and is kidnapped (and rescued) a dozen times before they're even on the Grand Line.

(after a few times, Luffy's uncharacteristically quiet, and privately asks Ace if they can break up the crew. She's holding Ace back; she not only made him come back to her, but half their adventures just seem to be her crew rescuing her. She's strong enough to defeat enemies, but not save herself. Ace tells her to shut up, and never bring this up again; they're BROTHERS, and he's not going to leave her behind or make her abandon her dreams when she can't accomplish them alone, and that's his choice. Luffy doesn't bring it up again, but works harder than ever to become stronger and earn recognition as co-Captain when the world seems intent on thinking of her as Ace's pet.)

During one of these kidnappings, Luffy's successfully brought all the way to an auction house before her crew can rescue her. An auction house that unbeknownst to them, was under investigation by the Revolutionary Army.

Liberating slaves is an unfortunately common mission for them, and Sabo's doing final sweeps as Koala frees the last of them when he notices a tank stowed away in a corner. He's familiar with these tanks, used to showcase mermaids in the rare occasions one can be caught, and it looks empty but he's still drawn to it for some reason.

It's only when he gets closer that he notices a mermaid crumpled at the bottom of the enclosure. She's completely slumped over, and he's afraid she's already gone, even as something about her screams with familiarity.

He's cracked the tank and has reached in to pull her out, when the wall behind him explodes in flames, revealing a furious Ace who snarls at the strange man with his hands on his baby brother...

...and then Sabo's memories come back.

~~

Something like that???? For an initial HCs dump????

This AU has continued! A LOT! Check out the comics, illustrations, and text stories for this AU under the Mermaid AU section of my One Piece Masterpost!

As always, REBLOGS, tags, asks, and comments greatly appreciated!

Advance posts for this AU and more are on my Patreon! (Patreon(.)com/YukiPri)

[goodlucktai]

90 for sanji!

PROMPTS LIST

90. “Why do you keep risking your life? To prove a point?” “Yes.”

x

Chopper's movements are jerky and stilted. It's not uncommon for him to get nervous, but it's rare that it would happen here, in the infirmary. This room is his domain, full of his books and instruments and precious medicines. It's where he shines the brightest.

Sanji sort of feels like a tool for throwing a shadow over that.

"Hey, doc," he says. The reindeer pauses for a split-second, one ear flicking back in Sanji's direction, before he continues on as if he hadn't heard.

"Chopper," Sanji tries again.

"I'm not speaking to you," Chopper tells him succinctly. His voice is thick and wet.

Abruptly, it becomes obvious why he's refusing to look at Sanji. Oh, fuck, no.

Sanji sits up, the bed creaking as his weight shifts, and that, at least, gets Chopper's full attention. He whips around, one hoof raised in warning. He can clock an escape attempt from three miles away.

And there are tears in his eyes, but now they're dwarfed completely by the magnificent scowl on his little face.

"I told you not to move! I'll sit on you if I have to! I'll tell Nami you're not listening to me! What will you do if you pull those stitches, huh? Do you want to heal or do you want to be stuck in here for a week?"

Sure, he's getting scolded, but something tight in Sanji's chest starts to loosen the longer the little doctor rails on. If he's still being shouted at, he thinks, then he hasn't fucked up too badly.

It's a language he's had to learn, but he knows it well now-- all the different shapes caring can take.

"I thought you weren't speaking to me," Sanji says, his voice doing a gentle thing it really only does for this, his youngest of siblings.

Chopper rears back, ears sticking upright and fur bristled in absolute outrage, and it makes Sanji have to bite back a cough of laughter.

"I'm not! I'm mad at you!"

Words notwithstanding, he's very careful as he presses little hooves to Sanji's chest. Checking that none of the bandages have been bled through, making sure nothing slipped or shifted when Sanji moved.

"For someone so smart, you're so stupid," Chopper adds, under his breath.

"I have been told that," Sanji replies mildly.

"Not enough, apparently."

Chopper finally sits back. He's in his default shape, Brain Point, and had to clamber up onto the bed next to Sanji in order to doctor him.

From this close, all his sharp edges go soft. It's as if there's some sort of gravitational field around his nakama that reminds him, the second he drifts within orbit, of how much he would much rather have a hug than an argument.

Now he looks up at Sanji from under the brim of his hat, his eyes big and wide and still a little damp. He clearly wants to stay angry, but he was never angry to begin with. That's only what it looked like to the casual observer.

"Why do you keep risking your life?" he finally asks. "To prove a point?"

"Yes," Sanji replies honestly. "More or less," he adds, a heartbeat later.

"To who?" Chopper demands shrilly. He looks seconds away from picking a fight with whoever planted that dumbass idea in Sanji's head. Considering he's about a foot tall at the moment, it's pretty cute.

"To myself," Sanji tells him. He would love to have a cigarette right now, but if he smoked in the infirmary, it would be the very last thing he'd ever do.

He can live with the nicotine itch for the time being. It isn't so bad. A heart-to-heart like this with virtually anyone else would have him climbing the walls by now, but Chopper is one of the few he can stomach it for.

The kid is seventeen now, the same age Luffy and Usopp were when Sanji met them, but he's still so much a kid. He still listens in awe to all of Robin's stories, and dances on tabletops when Brook plays silly songs, and follows Zoro around the deck like he's never seen anything as amazing as their swordsman before.

He still cries when his friends get hurt, and flies into their arms when they get home. He's still so, incredibly, impossibly, full of love for every single one of them that it's like a feat of medicine or a miracle all on its own.

Chopper sits there and gazes up at Sanji, expecting something more from him. Expecting something better. And yet he's still sitting there with him, crying for him and caring about him, and holding his body together in those tiny little hands. Still loving him, like it's a simple and easy thing.

That's exactly it, Sanji would tell him, if only it would make any sense. That's exactly why.

[beanghostprincess]

loved your post about yamato and ace and sabo finding out!

if it's not too much of a bother, can you give your hc in the same au of modern ASL living together and luffy trying to sneak in zoro? how ace and sabo find out and if possible, sprinkled with a *little(or more)* angst?

Aww thank you!! It was a sudden, random thought I had last morning and I loved it <3 And ofc I can!! I'm loving this AU, ngl.

I think Luffy isn't used to sneaking in people. Like, there's no need to do so. He often invites the whole group over (East Blue Crew + Vivi in this case, btw) and there are never any issues. In fact, Ace and Sabo like his friends. Sanji cooks for them (thank you, because most of the time they live thanks to his leftovers), Zoro isn't as loud as the others (unless he's arguing with somebody), Usopp is actually a really funny guy to be around, Nami keeps Luffy in the right path (they always thank her for taking care of him) and Vivi is the most surprising of them all but only Luffy would befriend a rich girl (Sabo didn't seem fond of her at first, but when he got to know her? She's the sweetest thing!). So Luffy isn't shy about things like this. However-

However.

Long post, by the way:

Sabo and Ace are a bit overprotective of Luffy. Well. Not really overprotective? They're not intense about it. They just treat Luffy (sometimes) like a kid and,, Honestly? It's understandable if you look at it from the older brother's perspective. Sabo and Ace have to take care of Luffy financially and I mean, have you seen Luffy's personality? He's actually extremely empathetic and pretty mature but he doesn't look like that at all, and he's seventeen. And it's not that they're worried about somebody taking advantage of him, because they know Luffy would never do something he doesn't want, but it's just,,, Seeing Luffy heartbroken? After everything they've been through together? After seeing Luffy crying already? They finally have a stable home, more or less, and he has a group of friends! They just don't like the idea of Luffy dating somebody they don't trust. But, you know, miscommunication and older sibling stuff. Sabo and Ace keep making fun of him and they say he's too young to date and have sex and understand these things. And they're not really serious about it? They just joke around. And Luffy is always complaining about it but y'know, whiny little brother, what's new? So they worry about him dating a stranger and that's why they always tell him to be careful (Luffy is SO done with them) and they just make fun of him because... Because they can. Older brother stuff. So, basically, they make a little bit of fun of Luffy and also keep saying he should be careful if he's going to date somebody, and Luffy takes it pretty damn seriously because he hates it when they treat him as a kid. Now, add the "Sabo's going to college and still takes care of them" layer here and the "Ace has his own issues and feels like a burden".

So when Luffy starts dating Zoro... It's a whole mess. He doesn't want them to make fun of him, first things first. He also doesn't want them to give him THE talk. He refuses to listen to them if they tell him he's too young and should break up with Zoro (which doesn't even make sense because Ace was even younger when he started dating people). And he doesn't want them to worry either because Ace seems more distant lately (Ace is dealing with the Yamato thing) and Sabo is always complaining about college being a scam and a shithole full of rich spoiled brats he hates (the only good thing there? Koala). So, of course, the most obvious thing to do is to hide the fact that they're dating.

Zoro is,, Luffy doesn't really know? Zoro is his best friend? But that doesn't feel right because that's what all of his friends are to him. Zoro is just something more. They start growing closer. And closer. And Luffy wishes they could be even closer but Nami tells him that that's literally just dating. That they're quite literally dating already. Luffy doesn't really get it? Like, the whole concept of dating is just dumb because it seems like a friendship with extra steps. Zoro is just- He's special but it doesn't really feel like Nami's crush on Vivi? He just knows that Zoro makes sense in his life and he doesn't want to do these things with anybody else (Luffy doesn't know that being Aroaspec is a thing, leave him alone). The fact that he feels the need to hide Zoro from Ace one day is what makes everything click. And it's funny like that because he asks Zoro if they're boyfriends and he's just like "I guess we are. Do you want to?" and Luffy couldn't be happier because well, at least now he has a word for it or whatever. And it's kind of exciting, isn't it? Like an adventure, the fact that they have to sneak in and hide from his brothers. Zoro finds it funny the first few times, but he thinks it'd be easier if he just told Ace and Sabo. But whatever, as long as Luffy is comfortable.

But Ace notices because Ace isn't fucking stupid and he's street smart and probably the one who knows the most about things like this. When the group is hanging out together, he notices the way the two guys look at each other. They're all very clingy, but he notices Zoro actively holding back and his touches lingering more on Luffy's body. He can tell when somebody is hungry and touch starved just by looking at them, for fuck's sake, it's horrendous to witness because it's painfully obvious. The way Zoro is always the last one to go home. That, and also that they're not quiet when Zoro ends up in Luffy's room. Zoro might do well with the "sneaking in" part, but the "staying over without your brother finding out" part? Nah. Horrible. Awful. They're idiots. Ace lets them enjoy themselves for a while because, meh, who cares? Besides, he's doing the same exact thing. For different reasons, but technically they're both lying to each other, so it's okay. He keeps an eye on them and tries to leave them enough food if he's going out with Yamato and that's about it. He isn't worried about Zoro. Because it's Zoro. And it only takes one glance at him to know he would do anything for his little brother.

Now, the thing is, Ace is angry. But he's not angry because Luffy is keeping this from him. Teenage years stuff. The thrill of having secrets. It's not as dramatic as Sabo would say it is. Ace is angry because one day Luffy comes home extremely irritable and visibly sad and he won't tell Ace why. He keeps asking but Luffy keeps yelling and pushing him away and Ace knows it's because of Zoro because it's the one thing he won't tell him. And now Luffy is sad and he can't tell his own brother because he fears he might get angry for the wrong reasons and Ace is angry because Luffy isn't telling him. The reason why Zoro and he fought isn't really important (although if you wanna know, it's linked to another AU I have that I just realized fits this thing too? So I'm just mixing them up. And basically, Zoro and Sanji were arguing and Zoro said something really fucked up without meaning to hurt Sanji that much, and Luffy didn't like that. And he could tell Ace about that but Ace would probably say "if he's just your friend why are you being so dramatic? Just talk things out. You've had worse fights with other people and haven't reacted like this" and Luffy isn't risking anything). Long story short, Ace ends up getting angry and telling Luffy that he knows he's dating Zoro. And it kind of goes like this:

Ace: Luffy, I don't want to get angry because I am not your babysitter and you're not a kid- Luffy: Liar. Ace: What?! Luffy: You're always saying I'm a kid. That I shouldn't date. Or have sex. Ace: Do you even want to have sex? Luffy: I dunno. Maybe? Not really. But it'd be nice if I could choose for myself! Besides, I don't mind if it's with- Ace: With who? Luffy: With nobody! Ace: Agh, c'mon now, Luffy! Don't act like a child. Luffy: See? You're always doing this! Ace: And you're keeping things away from me! What? You don't trust your own brother?! Luffy: You're gonna get angry. You are already angry. And you have your own things and you're going to go all worried older brother on me- Ace: I am not Sabo. Luffy: Oh, fuck, don't tell Sabo. Ace: Tell him what, exactly? Because you're not telling me shit. Luffy: ... But you already know. Ace: Yes, I know, I am not stupid. But I want to hear it from you. Luffy: Why?! Ace: Because I want you to trust me enough to tell me these things, you moron! Especially since he has hurt you so much. What the fuck did he do? Luffy: Nothing. It's nothing. Zoro didn't do- Ace: Okay, we're finally using his name. What did he do to you? Luffy: He didn't do anything to me! It's just- It's a silly fight. I'll be fine. I'm old enough. Ace: Nobody should be old enough to go through these things alone. Luffy, you don't have to deal with it on your own. I am here. Luffy: But... But you already have your thing with Yamato. And your job. And I can deal with this- Ace: You shouldn't deal with this alone. Even if it's a stupid fight that you're gonna solve in less than two days because it seems that if he spends more than five minutes away from you he fucking dies. Luffy: But- Ace: You always go to Sabo for these things, you know? It'd be nice if you trusted your other older brother too. Luffy: Sabo doesn't know. Don't tell Sabo. Ace: Then, tell me. Luffy. Just trust me.

Long story short, Luffy tells Ace what happened and Ace gives him some advice and they talk things out. So Ace isn't really angry at Luffy and he doesn't have to tell Zoro to sneak in anymore. Unless Sabo is the one home, because Luffy makes Ace promise he won't tell Sabo any of this. Ace just tells Luffy to do the same with the Yamato thing and they'll be fine. Basically, they're stupid because they keep lying to Sabo because they want him to not worry for them anymore. He has this older brother complex thing and he always tries to have everything under control and feels like he's the one responsible for everything? And they just would hate it if his finally stable mental health shattered just because of their own drama (bold of you to assume Sabo is well mentally in this AU, because he isn't. None of them are. Ace and Sabo are the ones who have more issues with mental health, tho, but Sabo is the one who tends to have more extreme emotions. Mental stuff headcanons, not important).

But it just makes things worse. For obvious reasons.

As I said in the original post about the AU, Sabo finds out about Yamato and reacts the way he reacts there. I think the fight is a bit more dramatic, but I didn't want to make it long. And of course, Sabo remembers what Ace said about Luffy "sneaking in" friends, and he asks him about it. Ace is just- He's so done with keeping secrets. But he also doesn't want to make Sabo more worried, even if he technically reacted well to Yamato staying over. Sabo is a bit more protective of Luffy (but in the sense I said before, not wanting him to get hurt because they know he cares A LOT about his relationships and a breakup or a fight would break his heart) so Ace is starting to question if it's a good idea to tell him about Zoro. Or if he should be the one doing it. Ace ends up telling him because it's Sabo we're talking about, and if they keep more secrets from him it's going to be a whole lot more drama. But the way he finds out is actually like:

Ace: Okay, don't get angry at Luffy for this. He was just worried about how you would take it. Sabo: Take what? I already told you, your idea of me is so fucked up. I am not a monster. Ace: I know. I know, Bo. But you know,, Ugh. Okay. Look. He's been dating Zoro for a while now. Sabo: The green-haired guy? The one who goes to the dojo next to the bakery? Ace: How do you even know that? Sabo: Because I listen to what others tell me? And why would Luffy think I'd get mad, c'mon. That guy would set himself on fire for our brother. I'm actually more worried about him than Luffy. Ace: He just- He just thinks we'd get too overprotective because we say he's just a kid. Sabo: But he told you. Ace: No, I found out. Sabo: But you told him I wouldn't get mad, right? Ace: ... Sabo: Ace. You told him to tell me, right? Ace: He asked me not to tell you. Sabo: What? Why? Ace: Look, I think it's better if we talk about this together? Just wait until he wakes up, please. Sabo: But he didn't tell me. Doesn't he trust me? I- If I have to drop out of college- Ace: Sabo, don't be stupid. You're not quitting. Sabo: But I don't want him to push me away like this! I- I feel like I don't know anything about his life. Ace: You know where his fucking boyfriend trains and you feel like you don't know him? Shit, I've been here the whole time and I recently found out they had a fight. It's not about colleg- Sabo: They had a fight? Ace: Oh, fuck, Sabo- Sabo: Is he okay? Why didn't he tell me? Ace- Ace: Just wait until he wakes up, c'mon.

So, Sabo is feeling like shit. Yamato is there having breakfast knowing that something's wrong. Ace looks at his boyfriend with the guiltiest of expressions. And- And Sabo is obviously not okay. So, everything is going downhill. They wait for Luffy to wake up because he's either an early bird or sleeps til noon, depending on the day. Right now, hours seem to be getting longer and longer. Until he inevitably wakes up and sees the whole thing and he's like "Oh! Yamato! What are you do-" and Ace rolls his eyes and says "Luf, he knows. C'mon. Of course he knows." and Luffy turns to Sabo smiling and saying "So you let him stay?! Of course you do, right? I told Ace he was being silly for worrying about that." (<- they're both stupid because they knew Sabo wouldn't get mad or anything, they were just worried about him getting too concerned. Idiots). Sabo sighs and he says that yes, he's obviously letting Yamato stay all he wants. Luffy acts like everything is fine, then, having breakfast and talking to Yamato like normal. But Sabo is digging his nails on the palm of his hand and he's not in a good place right now. Everything is normal until Sabo speaks up:

Sabo: Luffy, I- Do you think I'm spending too much time in college? Ace: Sabo, don't- Sabo: I've been staying at Koala's for a long time. Her apartment is closer to the campus, too, and- And I don't know. Would you want me to be around here more often? Luffy: Mmm? But you're always saying that you need to focus on studying! To have a good job and write your book. That's your dream. It's fine if- Sabo: But do you want me to be around here more? Luffy: I always like it when you're around. I don't mind. You still come over here a lot! Ace: Okay, but Sabo! Sabo. Dude. Even if you stayed at campus more often to write your book or study, it's alright. We can take care of ourselves. Sabo: I know you can. It's not about that. You know it's not. Luffy, do you feel like I've been... Like you can't tell me stuff? Luffy: What do you mean? I tell you everything. Sabo: Do you really? Luffy: I- Ace: He knows about Zoro, Luffy, don't lie. You're an awful liar, too. Luffy: Did you tell him?! Why?! Sabo: It's fine, I am not mad. Leave Ace alone. Luffy: You're not angry?! Sabo: See? Why do you even think I'd get angry? Luffy: ... Because I lied to you. And I'm dating somebody. Sabo: Luffy. I always tell you to be careful because I don't want you getting hurt by some random person. But it's Zoro! I- I know him. And you're seventeen. You knew I wouldn't get mad. So what's the truth here? Yamato: Ace, I can go to Deuce's for a while if you don't want me- Sabo: Please, don't be like that. You're family now. I- I'm not kicking you out. I am not mad. Why does everybody think I'm angry? You can listen to this. I'm sure you know more than Luffy now than me. Ace: Dude, you're being too hard on yourself. Sabo: But I am not here enough for Luffy to trust me! Ace: It's not that he doesn't trust you! He just doesn't want you to get like this! Sabo: Like what?! Ace: You're always blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault! Yes, Luffy didn't tell you he has a boyfriend. I didn't tell you Yamato was staying here. We didn't tell you because you're better than us. Luffy: Ace- Ace: We didn't tell you because you actually have a chance of doing something with your life and this? Teen drama? Luffy fighting and making up with his boyfriend because he said something mean about another guy? Yamato doing the same thing you did when you were a kid at twenty-six? This is not the stuff you should be blaming yourself for! You have this constant need to take care of everything b- Luffy: I'm not weak. I can take care of myself, Sabo. Sabo: Do I make you feel like you're a burden? Do I really- Luffy: What? No! Sabo: I just-I just want you to be able to tell me these things without thinking I'm gonna go into another episode. I'm fine. Just tell me these things and we can find a solution together. Isn't that what we've always done? Ace: Then you have to promise you won't try to carry everything on your own. Man, you already are stressed enough. Luffy: Yeah, and I trust you! Dumbass! I wanted to tell you. Ace: Shit, babe, I'm sorry you have to deal with us now- Yamato: Oh, no! It's really nice. Sabo: Nice? Yamato: You love each other so much you fight about it. Never seen that before. And you're letting me be a part of this! I think it's great. Thank you.

This is getting TOO long, but to end this: They obviously talk things out. Sabo tries to focus on studying but also calls them regularly so they can tell them everything about their lives. He also visits often with Koala. Yamato starts living there (not really because there are some issues with Kaido still, even if he's old enough to do whatever the fuck he wants, but he stays over most of the time). And Zoro meets Sabo finally saying he's Luffy's boyfriend (and it's literally just the same as always because they already know each other. Sabo is just happy they can be together in front of him).

Who would've thought the key would be communication, huh?

[wordycoward]

This came to me on accident. It's late and I'm projecting feelings onto Usopp. Feels necessary.

Also available on AO3.

Word Count: 483

Pairing: Usopp/Roronoa Zoro

Warnings for depression, blood mention.

Hurt

"You're gonna wake up one day and they'll be gone."

Usopp's smile faltered. He pressed it back on and continue with his tale, arms wide, voice loud, words rolling off his lips as if planned days in advance. Luffy laughed. He always laughed. It filled Usopp with warmth, even when his thoughts twisted, writhed, and willed numbness or soul biting chill with winds and words. Usopp was here. Usopp was present. Usopp was not considering how he'd feel when he finally woke up, seventeen, on Syrup Island, his two years of adventure shattered, splintered, stripped, and sealed beneath the sea of slumber that told him with increasing cruelty, "Yes, Usopp, you can travel the world with these people, even with how weak you are."

No, it was real. Usopp knew the pain, saw the scars, brushed his fingers over battle wounds, his own and others. He had dreams and nightmares he scrambled to piece together once the Thousand Sunny set sail each morning, but the journey as a whole was not one of them. No. It was real.

But they would be dreams eventually.

These adventures wouldn't last forever. These figures would leave him. These days would end and he would go back to an island that would no longer feel like home to wait for another ship, crossbones flying high, the song of freedom mingling with laughter in the air.

"Hey."

Usopp jumped. A warm hand caught his arm and pulled him back, saving him from the blue depths outside the ship. His head jerked back, eyes wide, mouth open.

Green. Tan. Spots of gold. Scars that marred the landscape of flesh. One emerald eye pierced to him, through him, and dug through Usopp's own scar-scattered skin. Usopp wanted to smile, wanted to pull up his shield and keep the sword from cutting too deep. He was a weapon. He hurt. If Usopp could keep the blade on the surface, only a little blood would trickle free and he would be safe. He would feel safe. It wasn't too late.

Before Usopp could slam the shield between them, the man sliced. The air between them fell to pieces. The man that closed in. Usopp blinked. He missed the point of the steel. He didn't miss the tip - the man's kiss - cool on his forehead. It pierced past muscles, past bone, past everything Usopp hoped would hold him together when the blade cut too deep.

"Zoro..."

Usopp whispered the name so soft he thought the wind carried the two syllables away. Instead, arms encircled him. Warmth, dirt, steel, salt mixed with sweat brushed against his nose, his chest, his whole being.

"I'm here."

Blood poured from Usopp's soul, his heart, his eyes, in hot streaks. He trembled, reached, grasped, entangled fingers in the fabrics before him. Brown and green: an island in his storm-struck sea. Rains came for that island, along with sobbing thunder.

[creative-type]

Commiseration

Robin didn’t talk much about her mother. Strangely enough, neither did Usopp

Rating: Gen Word Count: 3100 AO3

Robin didn’t recognize the silence at first. She had been engrossed in a book, a history of the West Blue that predated the Buster Call that she’d been trying to get her hands on for years. There was nothing between the covers that she hadn’t read before. The history of an entire sea was too broad a topic to go into too much depth on any one subject, but it wrote of Ohara and the library that rested there, and it did so without calling the scholars of the Tree of Knowledge demons or monsters or traitors of their chosen field. Newer editions of the same book had been sterilized by the World Government, passages that lovingly described the verdant branches of the great library scrubbed from the public consciousness as if it never existed.

Of course, a book of history would love the historian’s holy land, and Robin remembered reading this very tome from within those hallowed grounds. The memory was a balm for the ache she still felt when she thought of Ohara, the familiar words a warm summer breeze against her soul.

But then, there was quiet.

It was the sort of quiet that became its own sound, unfamiliar and unwelcome in a crew as boisterous as hers. As was her habit, Robin had her ears spread throughout the Thousand Sunny . There was a time she had been forced to listen for the first sounds of betrayal, but those days were long past. The lesson borne out of paranoia evolved to serve a more benevolent purpose.

Robin marked her place and peered across the deck. Luffy was sitting crosslegged at the ship’s prow, a monkey atop the head of a lion. He was in one of his rare contemplative moods, gazing out at the sea with eyes lit with a childlike wonder. Sometimes Robin he saw that excited him so.

But even now he was not still. Luffy never was, not even in sleep. He hummed a rather out of tune rendition of Bink’s Sake, slapping his sandals together as he kept time. He was not the source of the quiet, and so Robin stood, stretching in a long, catlike motion and wandered to the woman’s quarters.

Robin spread her eyes as she walked. Sanji was cooking, Zoro keeping watch while he lifted weights. Brook was on fishing duty with Chopper by order of Nami, after an ill-considered dare led him to breaking the glass of the aquarium with his voice alone. Franky had, of course, replaced it posthaste, but was in the bowels of the ship drafting a new design that was resistant to sound as well as any damage that might be caused by any future roughhousing.

None of them caused the disquiet that Robin felt in her bones. She dropped her book off in her bedroom, exchanging brief pleasantries with Nami and inquiring how her researched fared as she planned their course ahead.

“I’m still not sure how we’re going to get to Fishman Island,” Nami admitted. She took off her reading glasses and rubbed her eyes with her forefinger and thumb. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Robin’s smile seemed to reassure her some, and she let Nami return to her books. Her apprehension, while noteworthy, was not the source of the silence that roused Robin from her reading, which left one final destination.

She found Usopp at the workbench of his designated tinkering room. Surprisingly, it was cleared of tools and the odds and ends he used while inventing. Instead he had the day’s paper spread out flat, staring intently without seeming to actually read .

Robin couldn’t think of a time she had seen him worry over the news. She could count on one hand the time she’d seen him with a paper at all. Like most of the crew, he was content to let his knowledge of the outside world filter through Nami, trusting her to share with the crew anything that was important enough for them to know.

He was tense, singularly focused on the words that lay in front of him. All the boisterous enthusiasm, the bravado -- both warranted and not -- had left him, leaving Usopp looking strangely small. His bluff and bluster usually puffed him two sizes bigger than he actually was, but now all Robin could see was his knobby elbows and the round youthfulness that remained in his face.

Usopp seemed...young. Unsure of himself in a way he rarely let others see, but often felt. Robin was suddenly aware that he had sequestered himself away on purpose, taking the news that distressed him so much to the one space on the ship that was well and truly his.

Robin lingered in the doorway for a moment, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. It was difficult while out at sea to find a place to be alone with one’s thoughts. Not every bout of quietness required direct intervention. Not every secret needed pried loose.

This, too, was a difficult concept that Robin was just starting to wrap her mind around. She had spent her life searching for hidden things. There were no efforts she wouldn’t go to in order to find the truth, no matter how painful or personal. Secrets were powerful, just as capable of destroying a person as a knife or a gun. Robin collected secrets like some did bottle caps, and had learned as a young girl to jealously guard her own lest they be used against her.

The Straw Hat Pirates deserved the same privacy they had afforded her. And besides, Nami was not the only member of the crew who read the paper, and Robin had a strong inkling as to what was bothering their sharpshooter so badly.

Robin was about to slip away unnoticed when something within Usopp shifted. He stared at the black and white print so long he saw red, and making a sound that was half-curse, half-noise of impotent frustration he crumpled the paper into a ball and hurled it across the room. Usopp spun sharply away from the table, as if he was about to storm from the room, bringing himself face to face with Robin.

All the color drained from his face and settled in his ears, which burned with embarrassment. He sputtered half a dozen excuses and apologies before Robin held up a hand to silence him.

“It’s okay. I was just passing by and wondered if you wanted me to fetch you a drink. I believe Sanji was working on a new concoction using some of the jackfruit we found on the last island.”

It was ironic that he couldn’t tell that she was lying. Usopp let out a rush of breath that he’d been holding, shoulders drooping like a flower in the desert sun. “No, I’m fine. Thanks for asking, though.”

His fingers became restless, fidgeting and twitching with the need to be working on something, anything , to distract from the fact that he was very much not fine. Robin waited as he pulled supplies from the cubby holes Franky installed in the walls: his chemistry set, a few sheets of scrap metal, a long-handled wrench. Nothing that could be used effectively in conjunction with each other, a sign that his mind was still preoccupied.

And truly, Robin would have been content to let the matter drop, but she knew at that moment that he did not want to be alone. She had long-since memorized his tells, the little shifts of insecurity and nerves that went beyond his usual theatrics, the quiver of his lips as he tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.

She slid into the seat next to him and waited. If there was one thing she knew about Usopp, it was that he could not be kept speechless for long.

“It’s stupid,” Usopp muttered. He bent so low his long nose nearly touched the table, clasping his hands around the back of his neck, his nails digging into skin and leaving white streaks that filled in red.

“How do you mean?” Robin asked.

“It’s just...I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Everything was fine the way it was, and now...I don’t know. It’s stupid.”

Only this time the tone he used for the word it’s made it sound as if he’d meant I’m. Robin conjured a line of hands to retrieve the crumpled up paper and smoothed it out on the table. The headline was about a recent marine skirmish with Red Hair Shanks, and some intrepid soul had managed to catch a snapshot of the battle itself.

Beside the Emperor was a tall man with dark skin, dreadlocks hanging to his shoulders and a gun in each hand. A tattoo was partially visible below a billowing and rather tacky cloak with the letters Yas clearly legible.

Even without it, the man would have been unmistakable. His grin was identical to his son’s after a particularly good shot: cocksure, almost arrogant. But justifiably so, if the rumors of his sharpshooting prowess were to be believed.

“I wanna see him so bad it hurts,” Usopp said miserably. “So why am I so mad?”

Robin folded the paper into neat fourths and set it aside. She knew enough about Usopp’s past to understand what he was saying, having pieced together the snippets and stories he’d shared during their travels. Some of them may even have been true, but even if they weren’t it was evident that Usopp worshiped his father. Held him as a picture of an ideal pirate, one that chased his dreams on the open sea.

Even if that meant leaving his family behind.

There were other details that were less clear. Usopp spoke less frequently about his mother, but always warmly and with great fondness. The rest of the crew made it seem as if he had been living alone when they found him at Syrup Village, a boy of seventeen by himself in an empty house. Robin could guess what had happened, but she didn’t know for sure. Whatever the case, there was no mistaking the hurt on Usopp’s face now, and the anger he used to defend himself from it. Grief and loss commingling with confusion and helplessness into one wretched expression.

Robin knew, because she had experienced it herself. She could read all the histories she wanted about Ohara that venerated the ground that it sat on, but without the buffeting layers of nostalgia, the truth became much more complicated. Her few happy memories with the archeologists were like a scab protecting a bleeding wound, and once peeled away all that remained was a lifetime of pain and misery.

“There is nothing wrong with being angry,” Robin said. “And there is nothing wrong with admiring him.”

“But those two things don’t fit together,” Usopp protested.

“I know.”

Robin hadn’t meant the words to come out as bitterly as they did, leaving the sour taste of regret in her mouth. Usopp looked at her, eyebrows knitting together in an unspoken question.

It was her turn to go silent. Robin had not spoken about her mother in anything but the broadest terms, preferring not to think of her if she could help it. Twenty years had passed, and the contradiction did not get any easier to untangle, the knot of repressed feeling, confusion, and resentment growing only larger over time.

But Usopp waited for her to speak, and Robin realized suddenly that if there was anyone on this ship who could understand, it was him. The revelation startled something loose, the one final push to break down one of her oldest and strongest walls.

“My mother left Ohara when I was young to study the poneglyphs,” Robin said. She propped her hand under her chin and looked at the opposite wall, studying the grain in the wood to distract from the surprise on Usopp’s face. “My father passed away before I was born, and my only relatives were my mother’s brother and his wife. They had a girl about my age, my only cousin. And they hated me, or at least my aunt did. The rest followed suit.”

Robin blinked to clear her vision, which had gone unexpectedly misty. She had forgotten the truth of her words until she was forced to say them aloud, locking the memories of home into some deep corner of her soul and throwing away the key. Now they rushed back and pressed against the corners of her skull, demanding to be remembered. For the truth to be told, instead of the sweet falsehood that was so much easier to bear.

“She’s the reason I became an archeologist,” Robin admitted. “I thought that if I did she would take me out to sea. I met her, once. The day Ohara burned. She told me she was proud of what I accomplished and sent me out alone. She died with the rest of the scholars trying to save the library.”

A lost cause, Robin knew. Had always known. Ohara had been doomed the moment the World Government pressed the golden den-den mushi. And still her mother stayed.

Perhaps it wouldn’t have made a difference, but Robin had always wondered what her life would have been like if she hadn’t. If anything would have changed if Robin had one person who she could trust and depend on instead of spending twenty years struggling to keep her head above water in a sea of loneliness and isolation.

“Why?” Usopp asked.

“I wish I knew,” Robin said. “She said I would understand someday, but it hasn’t come yet.”

It occurred to Robin then that she was doing a very poor job, sharing her own woes instead comforting Usopp. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly through her nose before turning back to look at him properly. It was difficult to find a smile for him, but she managed. The caustic aftertaste of her own bitterness twisted it into something less than genuine.

“I’ve worshiped my mother and cursed her name, sometimes in the same breath. I’ve hated her, and loved her, and wanted her, and wished I never knew her all at once. I’ve dreamed of seeing her and wanted nothing more than to hurt her beyond the grave. It’s not logical, and there was a time when it almost consumed me.” Robin paused, more memories of an angry and self-destructive adolesce causing an involuntary shudder down her spine.

Really, it was a wonder she was still alive at all. There had been nothing left after the rage burnt itself out, the pressing need of her own survival giving her little time to nurse the hurt into a wrath that could sustain itself. Bit by bit the weight of life had pressed against her, smothering what little hope she had left and leaving a bleak wasteland that made Robin want to curl up and die.

After all, she’d twice been abandoned by her own mother. Who would want a monster as unlovable as that?

“I just don’t understand why he never came back,” Usopp said after the silence went on a beat too long to be considered comfortable. “Or write, or something. Was he trying to protect us?”

He looked down at his hands, calluses and fine white scars crisscrossing into a map that laid out the path of his adventures. He clenched them into fists, the strain pulling the tendons taunt against his knuckles.

“Did he forget about us? Does he know what happened to Mom? Does he even care ?”

Usopp kicked at the leg of the table, then yelped when he succeeded in stubbing his toe. His eyes shone with unshed tears, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand. Robin knew the physical pain wasn’t their source.

“I don’t know,” Robin said. The blunt truth startled another yelp out of him, and Usopp looked up at her with his jaw slack and an unguarded look of terror in his eyes. Robin felt her expression soften, and she reached out to lay her hand over his.

It had been a long time since her touch could offer comfort instead of destruction. The simple act of holding his hand brought back more memories, one that was neither the tearing pain of her miserable childhood nor the false nostalgia that she’d hidden behind for so long. It was a healing sort of hurt, powerful in its simplicity, and Robin gave a soft, reassuring squeeze.

I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.

“What I do know is that your father is still alive,” Robin said gently, “and when the right time comes I believe that you will have the courage to face him.” She paused, one last silence in a day that had been full of them.

“And...you don’t have to follow his path. No matter how similar you are, no matter how much of him rests in your heart, you are not your father.”

Robin thought back to that last meeting with her mother. She had been honest when she said she didn’t understand why she had stayed behind. Her mother had chosen her dream over the people she loved. Despite Robin’s best efforts to convince herself otherwise, as time passed and she became, if not unbiased, then more openminded, it became clear that her mother had loved her very, very much.

He mother said that Robin would someday understand, and when faced with the same impossible choice Robin thought she finally would. Had her mother been at Water 7 Robin had no doubt that she would have chosen her own survival over the life of the Straw Hat Pirates. After all, that’s what she had done at Ohara.

But Robin couldn’t. Twenty years later, and she was still no closer to understanding. She made her peace with that. She had to, or the contradiction would have torn her in two.

Usopp broke through her ruminations with a hug that threatened to crush her. Robin sprouted arms to keep her chair from tipping, then returned the embrace, digging her fingers into the rough fabric of his coveralls as if he’d disappear if she didn’t hold on with all her strength.

“Thanks, Robin,” he said, his voice muffled and wet.

Robin smiled, not caring when a tear slipped down her cheek. She had no answer, safe to tighten her hold, the silence holding more understanding than words ever could